Police have been criticised after a sex offender with a history of failing to register his whereabouts dropped off their radar following his release from prison.
Mark King was set free from jail on July 14 but on July 25 police admitted he had gone missing. He was last seen at Perth’s bus station at 10.30am on the day of his release.
King has a history of failing to attend at police stations as a condition of his sex offender status. In 2013 the “high risk” offender was jailed for a total of 642 days after giving officers the slip.
He had told police he was camping out near the former Olympia building on Riverside Drive in Dundee but then decided to travel to Perth and on to Blairgowrie without notifying the force.
The revelation led to politicians and charity organisations to ask why sex offenders are able to give such vague addresses to the police.
Last night Mid Scotland and Fife MSP Murdo Fraser blasted Police Scotland for the delay in informing the public.
He said: “This is not the first time there have been concerns over the whereabouts of Mark King and Police Scotland must recognise that the public has a right to know when a convicted sex offender goes missing.
“Convicted sex offenders can pose an ongoing danger and must be monitored in order to keep the public safe.
“Police Scotland must do better in cases like this where the offender has a history of going missing.”
His colleague Liz Smith said: “It is deeply concerning that two weeks have been allowed to pass for a registered sex offender to be missing in the community without the public being informed.
“The fact that Mr King was able to go missing just after his release when he has a history of giving vague addresses is concerning and clearly should have been addressed and taken into account by the authorities at the time of his release.”
Police have warned the public not to approach six-foot King but said there had been several potential sightings.
Detective Superintendent Colin Gall said: “We have had a number of potential sightings of Mr King reported to us from across Scotland.
“These are being followed up by officers daily.
“Police Scotland has responsibility for monitoring all such offenders and will, in all cases, work with social work departments and other relevant agencies involved in the management process.
“By working in partnership we are able to monitor offenders more effectively.”
He added: “No system is foolproof and the reality is that risks posed by some offenders can never be completely eliminated. However, we will continue to do everything in our power to keep those risks to a minimum.”