The 79-year-old was found on a train from Stockholm to Oslo and was arrested in Charlottenberg, the last stop before the border.

“Several people called, independent of each other, from the train and informed the police that the wanted 79-year-old was on board,” said Morgan Connedal at Värmland police to news agency TT.

Rail operator SJ halted the train between stations so that police units were able to make it to Charlottenberg where the man could be detained.

The arrest was conducted without any drama, according to Connedal.

Police drove Eriksson back to Sankt Göran’s Hospital in Stockholm during the night.

The man has told police that he took a taxi to Strängnäs from Mariefred where he was able to evade his two supervisors during home leave. From Strängnäs he continued his escape by train.

Sten Erik Eriksson has been convicted of a raft of serious sex offences against children and for the murder of a little boy. He has spent a large part of his life in custody and is still regarded as dangerous, especially for small children.

Police sounded a national alarm after the man classified as a dangerous paedophile was able to escape.

According to the Aftonbladet daily, Eriksson was first convicted in the 1940s and was taken into what was then known as a mental institution. He has been convicted for violent offences involving children, and for the rape and murder of a little boy in 1967.

After the murder he was placed in psychiatric care and has since then been interned at Karsudden’s hospital outside of Katrineholm and Sankt Sigfrid’s hospital in Växjö. Over the past six months he has been at Sankt Göran’s hospital in Stockholm.

Eriksson has previously escaped on several occasions. In 1998 he ran from supervisors during a leave of absence from Sankt Sigfrid’s hospital and was arrested several days later in Örnsköldsvik.

It is as yet unclear how the man was able to evade his supervisors in Mariefred.