‘Dangerous’ sex offender on the run in UK
Police in Lincolnshire, UK, warned in a statement on Sunday that convicted sex offender Paul Robson, aged 56, has “absconded from HMP North Sea Camp in Boston,” where he was serving his sentence.
“Robson is a dangerous sex offender and while he presents a particular danger to women and young children, I believe he can cause real harm to anyone he comes across,” Detective Chief Superintendent Andy Cox said, adding that “he could be anywhere in the country” now.
The convicted sex offender was handed a life sentence in 2000 after he entered a woman’s home and sexually assaulted her at knifepoint. He was jailed for the attempted rape and indecent assault of the victim after tying her up and holding a knife to her throat.
Authorities reported him missing from the North Sea Camp facility at around 7am GMT on Sunday but did not state when they believed he might have managed to escape or how long he could have been on the run.
Police described Robson as “white, bald, of slim build, and was last seen with a long goatee beard,” asking the public to contact authorities with “potential sightings so we can take this man off our streets.”
Figures released by the Ministry of Justice showed that 101 criminals fled open prisons during 2021, including four individuals from the North Sea Camp where Robson escaped.
Open prisons are the lowest security level facilities in the UK. People convicted of serious crimes aren’t usually placed in open prisons but can be moved to them towards the end of their sentences if an assessment deems they pose a low risk.
