Alleged paedophile arrested after video of him 'molesting his daughter' goes viral

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WARNING: DISTURBING CONTENT
Alleged paedophile captured after footage of him 'molesting' the little girl
He appeared to be touching her inappropriately under the restaurant table
Waitress who filmed video shared in on social media sparking a manhunt
Led to police identifying and arresting him as he fled from arrest warrant
The four-year-old girl has been taken into care following her father's arrest

Published: 09:26 EST, 15 April 2016 | Updated: 11:08 EST, 15 April 2016

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An alleged paedophile has been arrested in Mexico after a shocking video of him appearing to molest a four-year-old girl in a restaurant went viral.

The graphic footage allegedly showed the man groping the little girl under the table, as she leaned against his lap.

Sickeningly, the man in the clip seems to continue having a conversation with the rest of his group as he touches the girl.

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Assault: A video clip of a father appearing to molest his daughter under the table while continuing a conversation with the rest of his group went viral in Mexico, leading to his arrest

The little girl appears to be fixated with a game and paying little attention, while her whole right leg is exposed to the restaurant in Villahermosa, Tabasco state.

The footage came to light after the waitress who recorded it shared it on social media.

It rapidly spread online, sparking a nationwide manhunt seeking to track down the man and see him punished.

In the frantic search for the man's identity, names were thrown around wildly both by members of the public and even by internet activist group Anonymous.

But police have announced that they have now arrested the alleged perpetrator, who turned out to be the little girl's father.

Juan Vicente Hernandez Leon, 48, was seized as he attempted to catch a bus to Mexico City, the nation's capital.

Manhunt: The waitress who recorded the footage posted it to social media, sparking a nationwide search for the man and the little girl who appeared in it. Pictured, Hernandez Leon (left and right) after his arrest

Seized: The man, named as Juan Vicente Hernandez Leon, was arrested by police as he tried to flee on a bus to Mexico City, after a warrant was issued for his arrest

Shame: Prosecutor Fernando Valenzuela Pernas said in a press conference that the little girl had been taken into care for the time being, after undergoing medical checks

Upset: The footage caused outrage as it spread on social media, leading to allegations and names being thrown around by members of the public and by activist group Anonymous

It is thought that he was fleeing a warrant that had been issued for his arrest after he was identified from the video clip, which was recorded on March 27.

Tabasco state police tweeted: 'Juan Vicente Hernandez Leon, the alleged paedophile relating to the case of a video in a restaurant in which he was seen with his hand under the clothes of a minor, was arrested on the afternoon of April 11, when he was travelling by bus.'

Prosecutor Fernando Valenzuela Pernas said in a press conference that the little girl had been taken into care for the time being, after undergoing medical checks.

Meanwhile, a second video clip has been widely circulated in Mexican press – of a woman claiming to be the wife of Hernandez Leon defending him.

Arrest: Police announced that they had arrested Juan Vicente Hernandez Leon at a press conference, and that he had also been identified as the little girl's father

Sentence: The crime of paedophilia carries a lengthy prison sentence in Tabasco state, of up to 20 years

Defence: Another video, uploaded to Facebook, shows a woman claiming to be the wife of Hernandez Leon insisting that her husband is innocent, and that it is all the fault of 'a malicious person'

The woman who appears in the clip, Silva Algomeda, insists that none of the fiasco has been her husband’s fault and accuses ‘a malicious person’ of causing ‘moral damage’ to her family.

Ms Algomeda uploaded her video to Facebook, offering her defence of her husband.

Speaking calmly and looking straight into the camera, she describes the suffering that having her daughter taken away from her has caused.

‘Do you think that the child would have been so calm if my husband had been touching her inappropriately? Of course she wouldn’t, the girl would have reacted.’

She went on to claim that the little girl is suffering psychological damage for having been separated from her family.

Paedophilia in the state of Tabasco carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.