A suspected paedophile pictured on websites sexually abusing young boys has been identified as a 32-year-old Canadian, it emerged on Tuesday.

Thai police named him as Christopher Paul Neil after a worldwide appeal by Interpol using reconstructed images of his face.

Interpol had more than 200 internet photos of the suspect abusing boys in Thailand and Cambodia, but his face had been digitally disguised until experts in Germany rebuilt the photos.

The English teacher is thought to be on the run in Thailand. Interpol said security cameras documented his arrival at immigration on Thursday. “We believe he is still in Thailand and we are now collecting information from neighbouring countries where he committed crimes of paedophilia so we can issue an arrest warrant for him,” said Colonel Apichart Suribunya, of the Thai police.

Police have been hunting the man for three years, ever since German police found online pictures of him abusing under-age Asian boys. The man’s face was initially disguised behind a digitalised swirl but German police managed to rebuild an image of him and released four reconstructed photos.