Convicted child sex offender Daniel Livingstone found

Police have confirmed they have located and arrested fugitive child rapist Daniel Livingstone.

Detective Inspector Grant Wormald said police were notified about 3.30pm by a member of the public, who said Livingstone was in the area of the Naenae shops in the Hutt Valley, north of Wellington.

Police officers in the area were immediately dispatched, Mr Wormald said.

He said Livingstone was also spotted on the Hutt City CCTV camera network, which was monitored at the Lower Hutt police station.

Speaking to media at a press conference in Wellington this afternoon, Mr Wormald said the member of the public recognised him from the media releases.

He was found 7-8km from home.

"He saw a police car and tried to run but just ran straight into another unit."

Mr Wormald said Livingstone had not received any help in absconding.

Livingstone will now spend the night at Wellington central police station. He is due to make an appearance in court tomorrow morning.

Mr Wormald thanked all members of the public who provided information to police.

There had been a very good response from the public, and he said police were grateful for all the calls they had received.

Police will be holding a press conference on the matter at Wellington central police station at 4.45pm today.

Police started looking for Livingstone after first visiting his Upper Hutt address at 3.50am yesterday after learning he had tampered with his GPS ankle bracelet.

He was "actively sought as an absconder" from the moment a knock at the door failed to get a response. Steps taken included area patrols, area and background enquiries and checking an address of an associate, police said.

Livingstone was living in Upper Hutt after his release from jail last year for the abduction and rape of a 10-year-old girl in Whangarei in 2006. He was subject to a court-imposed Extended Supervision Order (ESO). They are for offenders who cannot be kept in prison any longer.

The case comes as figures show there have been more than 15,500 breaches of electronic monitoring conditions since 2008.

The figures, released by Corrections, are for breaches rather than offenders, meaning some people might be responsible for multiple breaches.

There were 3300 offenders being electronically monitored as of June, Stuff.co.nz reported.

Livingstone never granted parole

Child sex offender David Livingstone was never granted parole - a legal branding showing him to be considered as dangerous to the public as rapist and murder Tony Robertson.

The Parole Board released documents this afternoon showing he had been declined parole every time he had appeared seeking release from prison.

Instead of being granted parole, he was released from prison at the end of his sentence of eight years for abducting, raping and threatening to kill a 10-year-old in 2006.

It is an eerie echo of the Robertson case - he was also imprisoned for eight years in 2006 for abduction and indecent assault on a child. On his release in 2014 - within months of Livingstone being released - he had raped and murdered Blessie Gotingco.

Livingstone was released after a March 2014 hearing before the Parole Board, which sets the conditions he had to live by in the community. It was also to set conditions around an Electronic Supervision Order, which dictated that he wear the GPS monitoring anklet he discarded this week to go on the run.

The conditions of Livingstone's release include not leaving his house between 8pm and 7am, staying home for the time around the start and finish of schools, to stay away from schools or any place children went. He was also banned from going to the Whangarei area.

Alcohol was identified by the Parole Board as a risk factor for Livingstone, because he had low self esteem and would drink to boost his confidence.

"Adding to our concern have been comments attributed to Mr Livingstone...that he was going to spend his Steps To Freedom money on 'alcohol and chicks' and would soon return to prison."

- NZME.