A dangerous convicted sex offender has gone on the lam after the body of a lady was discovered in his Minehead, Somerset, apartment.
Police are concerned that in the ten days that Richard Scatchard has been absent, he has formed relationships with other women who could be in danger.
Scatchard, who was incarcerated in 2000 for drugging and sexually abusing victims, is at large, according to law enforcement. The professional standards division of the Avon and Somerset police force has been investigating the initial response of its officers to the death of Kelly Faiers, 61, at the Scatchard residence.
On Sunday, October 15th, the ambulance service notified the police that Faiers, a resident of Weston-super-Mare, had passed away at Scatchard’s residence. When police came back the next day to question him about the death, he was nowhere to be found.
The results of a forensic postmortem performed on Faiers’ body were inconclusive. The authorities are investigating her death as suspicious while waiting for additional test findings.
Police have received 24 sighting reports since the initial call, most of which have come from within Minehead and neighboring Watchet. If you spot him, contact 999 immediately; police advise against approaching him, as it is impossible to predict his behavior.
Scatchard may be riding a grey Gepida Alboin Curve with pink front rim decals, rear rim decals featuring flowers, and green and yellow electrical tape around the handlebars.
He is of Caucasian ethnicity, is just over 5 feet and 11 inches tall, and has short, graying hair. He has a Scottish accent and has said his name is Richard Dunlop.
Scatchard might be anywhere in the UK; he has ties to Cornwall and South Wales and possibly to the Cheshire and Leicestershire regions.
On October 16th, he was last seen in Minehead.
