EDDIE Maher’s son is wanted in America after being released from a US prison and returning to the UK while still owing money for child support.

Lee King is now believed to be living in Eastbourne, where a sister of Maher resides.

Maher, a former Securicor guard, is currently remanded in custody awaiting a trial in March at Ipswich Crown Court for the theft of �1,172,500 from outside Lloyds Bank in Hamilton Road, Felixstowe in January 1993. He has denied the charge.

Maher was extradited from the US in July after being arrested in Ozark, Missouri in February.

In May this year his 23-year-old son was jailed for six months in Wisconsin because he owed thousands of dollars to Kayla Jacoby, the mother of his first child.

King had pleaded guilty to four counts of failing to pay child support for their four-year-old daughter Sophie.

As part of his sentence he was given work release privileges so his earnings could go to Miss Jacoby for their daughter. King also has four other children by three other women.

However, when he was released from prison last month he left the country and came back to England. He had last been in the UK in 1993 when he lived with his mother Deborah Brett and Maher near Chelmsford.

There is now a warrant out for King’s arrest in Wisconsin. According to court records he was due to appear at a hearing on November 19, but failed to turn up.

Rhonda K Gorden, the attorney representing Miss Jacoby, asked the court to find Lee Edward King in contempt for his non-appearance.

A commitment was also issued as part of the proceedings.

A spokeswoman for the court said this means if King was ever caught in Wisconsin he would have to remain in prison until he pays whatever child support he owes.

Separate proceedings had been under way relating to his immigration status in the US.

A hearing for that case was understood to have been scheduled for January.

After discovering King had left the country, Miss Jacoby said: “Technically Lee was supposed to stay in the US until January. He had a court date in Kansas to decide what to do with him.

“On one hand I’m happy I will never have to run into him again. On the other, he had a hand in creating all these children. He can’t just run away from that. He needs to know you can’t just run from all your problems.”

Miss Jacoby claims she is owed more than $5,000 in child support.

King’s ex-wife Jessica is said to have given birth to his fifth child this year.