Fugitive priest turns himself in to British police

London - A priest who fled to mainland Europe after being convicted of stealing church funds has returned to England and turned himself in to authorities, British police said on Monday.

Police had traced and made contact with 50-year-old priest Simon Reynolds over the weekend and that he had been arrested after giving himself up, Detective Chief Inspector Steve Whittaker said.

Reynolds became a fugitive on Thursday when he failed to return to court after lunch while he was in the process of being convicted of four counts of theft.

Reynolds was found guilty of pocketing $37 000, which was meant for wedding, funerals and graveyard monuments while he was the priest at All Saints Church in Darton, 280km north of London, between 2007 and 2013. He will be sentenced on Tuesday.

His church colleagues had issued statements imploring Reynolds to turn himself in.