A barrister who led the prosecution of former Yugoslav dictator Slobodan Milosevic says the capture of his right hand man Radovan Karadzic was a “major step.”

Sir Geoffrey Nice, from Adisham, said the surprise capture of Karadzic - accused of leading the slaughter of 8,000 Muslim men and boys in 1995 - could soon be followed by other senior members of Milosevic’s regime including General Ratko Mladic.

Karadzic was arrested on Monday on a bus in a Belgrade suburb after more than a decade on the run.

He had been living in disguise in Serbia’s capital and practising alternative medicine under the name of Dragan Dabic.

Sir Geoffrey said: “This is a major step. People seem to think it is only a matter of time before others - like Mladic - are caught but he is being guarded by the military.”

Karadzic is expected to be moved this week to face trial for 11 counts of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity at the UN war crimes court at The Hague, Holland.

Sir Geoffrey said: “There are still forces at work who would prefer Karadzic was not extradited and I am sure some will take steps to stop it.”

But he added the capture would give Serbia a stronger case for its bid to join the EU.

He said: “There does seem to be a change of approach towards their application for membership.

“It should have happened years ago and it will be great for the people of Serbia.”

Sir Geoffrey, who holds an honorary degree from Kent University, was knighted last year for services to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague.

He was appointed as a prosecutor there in 1998 and led proceedings against Milosevic up to the dictator’s death in March, 2006.