An international manhunt has been launched for 16 sex offenders who have disappeared after going on the run.
Of that total, 14 are believed to be hiding abroad and the other two elsewhere in the UK.
All 16 men are on the Sex Offenders Register, having been convicted of offences involving either adults or children and then released back into the community.
Those who go missing are immediately classed as “high-risk” because they have broken rules designed to keep the public safe.
It’s also feared that the 16 on the wanted list may have committed other offences after going AWOL.
Police Scotland were unable to give details of the 16 but they told the Sunday Mail that they were committed to bringing them to justice and working with other forces at home and abroad.
Detective Superintendent Paul Cherrie, head of the National Sex Offender Policing Unit, said: “Police Scotland treat all missing and wanted Registered Sex Offenders with the utmost seriousness and carry out all possible inquiries to trace them and re-establish the management required to protect the public.
“On all occasions, a Senior Investigating Officer (SIO) of a rank no less than Inspector is appointed to lead these investigations.
“In cases where offenders are known to have left the country, we work proactively with our UK and international law enforcement partners to locate them as quickly as possible and measures are put in place to arrest these individuals should they return to the UK.”
The missing sex offenders figures were obtained last week through Freedom of Information.
Cherrie added: “All offenders recorded as ‘wanted’ have arrest warrants issued and, where appropriate, international arrest warrants are utilised.
“Investigations to trace wanted or missing Registered Sex Offenders are subject to significant scrutiny with regular review by command teams to ensure suitable support and governance.”
Those on the Sex Offenders Register can travel abroad as long as they notify their police offices.
Other figures released under Freedom of Information show that 701 sex offenders travelled abroad in 2019.
The numbers dropped during the pandemic to 290 in 2020 and 112 so far this year. Police Scotland’s 13 local policing divisions have dedicated sex offender units who work with local authorities, the NHS and the Scottish Prison Service to monitor sex offenders.
Scotland has 4417 sex offenders living in the community and 1547 either in prison or in hospital.
The majority live in Greater Glasgow, followed by Edinburgh and the Lothians, and then the Aberdeen area.
Sex offenders have to register with the police, whether they have been in prison or not, and must let them know immediately of any change of address.
As part of the monitoring programme, they will be visited by officers or social workers and some may have additional restrictions limiting contact with children, computers or public spaces.
One example of a missing sex offender was Lorcan Halton, 45, who vanished from Glasgow in 2014 and was later arrested in Ireland after an 11-week police hunt. He had previously been jailed for lewd and libidinous behaviour towards young girls.
In November 2010, Fraser McLaughlin, 57, from Hamilton, was arrested in Dublin following his disappearance four months earlier.
He had been convicted at Hamilton Sheriff Court in July of possessing and taking indecent photographs of children.
That same year serial sex offender John Angus, 57, who has since died, was convicted of indecently assaulting a 21-year-old woman in Aberdeen after going on the run and breaking a Sex Offenders Prevention Order.
Scottish Conservative justice spokesman Jamie Greene said: “This horror story of convicted sex offenders going on the run shows the need for stricter rules being placed on these criminals.
“Sadly, it’s no surprise they are going off the radar, given the Scottish Police Federation have said that Police Scotland don’t have the capacity to keep tabs on all of them.
“It’s clear this loophole allowing dangerous criminals to travel abroad must be closed immediately.”
