Police have warned the public not to approach an escaped sex offender who poses a “real risk” – as they issued new details about what he may be wearing.
Paul Robson, 56, is serving a life sentence for attempted rape and indecent assault and was reported missing from HMP North Sea Camp in Boston, Lincolnshire, on Sunday.
They described him as slim with a bald head and a long goatee beard.
Police initially believed he was in the Boston area but have now said he could be anywhere in the country.
“He may be wearing a black long-sleeved Berghaus top, a grey ‘French’ t-shirt, dark bottoms, a dark coloured woollen beanie and a light-grey donkey-style jacket with orange on the shoulder area,” said Lincolnshire Police.
The force added: “If you do see him, please do not try to approach him, or try to apprehend him yourself.
“He poses a real risk to the public and we are doing everything in our power to find and arrest him.”
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Attacker crawled in through cat flap
Robson was jailed for life in 2000 after he crawled into a woman’s home through her cat flap and attacked her.
He put a pillowcase over her head and held a knife to her throat during the Oxford attack.
Robson, who already had a long history of violent sex attacks on women and young girls, was described by a judge as a “menace to females”.
He had been in and out of prison for attacks against women and girls as young as eight before he was given the life sentence.
The Parole Board said it had refused Robson’s release in February 2021 but recommended a move to an open prison.
“This was a recommendation only and the Secretary of State for Justice considers the advice before making the final decision on whether a prisoner is suitable for open conditions,” said a spokesman.
“We will only make a recommendation for open conditions if a Parole Board panel is satisfied that the risk to the public has reduced sufficiently to be manageable in an open prison.”
Labour said Justice Secretary Dominic Raab had “serious questions to answer”. However, at the time of Robson’s move he wasn’t in the job.
A report last year on HMP North Sea Camp said 70% of prisoners were “presenting a high risk of harm to others” and more than half were sex offenders.