Sex offender on the run after absconding from Lincolnshire prison

Police are hunting a convicted sex offender who has absconded from an open prison.

Gary Butcher, was serving a life sentence for aggravated burglary, at HMP North Sea Camp in Boston.

The 55-year-old was reported missing just after 5.30am on Tuesday 31 May.

Butcher is described as a white male with a stocky build, with brown/grey hair and blue eyes. He has a swallow tattoo on his right arm and a “Phillip-Trina” tattoo on his left arm.

Officers believe he may have travelled to the Leicestershire area.

Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Inspector Paul Coleman said: “We are appealing for help to locate Gary Butcher who was reported missing from North Sea Camp this morning.

“If you have any information to his current whereabouts, please contact us immediately.

"If you do see him, please do not approach him and instead, call us on 101 quoting incident 37 of 31 May and if it’s an emergency, dial 999.”

It comes after another sex offender, Paul Robson, who was described as a danger to women and children sparked a major manhunt when he fled the same open prison in February.

Matt Warman, the Conservative MP for Boston and Skegness, said at the time that he had raised concerns about the prison's security "repeatedly" with the Ministry of Justice.