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A woman who fled from court during a hearing involving Manchester United star Rio Ferdinand has been arrested.
38-year-old Susanne Ibru was appearing at Macclesfield Magistrates’ court charged with harassing Ferdinand and his family and was later found guilty in her absence of repeated episodes of harassment at the player’s home in Alderley Edge, Cheshire.
An arrest warrant was then issued for Ibru after her conviction was pronounced and she was picked up by Cheshire police in Warrington.
Ibru, formerly of Peckham, south London, but now of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, represented herself during her trial and cross-examined the United and England star before taking flight during the lunchtime adjournment yesterday.
A spokeswoman for Cheshire Police said: "We can confirm that Susanne Ibru was found in Warrington and is currently held in custody."
She is due to be sentenced by District Judge Nicholas Sanders on a date yet to be fixed.
The call for her arrest was precipitated by her decision to walk out of court when Judge Sanders refused her permission to call the defender’s wife Rebecca, to give evidence.
Mrs Ferdinand had been excused from the proceedings after giving birth to their third child, a girl, at the weekend.
Although Ibru never denied visiting the Ferdinands’ home, she claimed her actions could not be construed as harassment.
But Judge Sanders disagreed, saying: "It is without question that it did amount to harassment of Mr and Mrs Ferdinand.
"Miss Ibru, I suspect, will say she didn't know but she certainly should have done."
The judge added: "Mr Ferdinand is a high-profile footballer and, whilst there will always be occasions where he is exposed to public and press scrutiny, the fact is that, when he is in the privacy of his own home with his family, he has a right to expect to be left alone."
