A convicted rapist who vanished from custody is still at large two months later and being hunted by police.
Let out on day release on June 1, Sean Phipps was last seen in the Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire area and is now thought to be living “off-grid”.
The 51-year-old has been described as 6ft 2ins tall and is meant to be behind bars at HMP Leyhill in South Gloucestershire.
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Having previously gone by the surnames Cawthray, Goldthorpe and Perry, police have warned the public not to go near him and instead dial 999.
Although police think it is likely that he is around the area he was last seen, it hasn’t been ruled out that Phipps could now be anywhere in the UK.
Police are now issuing a fresh push to try and find the missing convict, LeicestershireLive reports.
He was jailed following the 2002 kidnapping of a Leeds schoolgirl who he grabbed from a bus stop, dragged to a brook through an alley by the hair and covered her mouth to muffle her cries, according to the Sun.
It was only thanks to the actions of a brave lad nearby who went and fetched his grandfather for help that Phipps was stopped.
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Prior to his current sentence, he had been caged two more times for rape.
In 1993, he attacked a 20-year-old woman while he studied art at De Montford University in Leicester.
Several years earlier, he was sentenced for raping a teenage girl and attempting to rape another youngster in Leeds.
Avon and Somerset police said in a statement: "He's also known to cover long distances on foot, by hitch-hiking or by stealing bicycles.
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"Phipps has an interest in living ‘off-grid’ and may camp out and forage in rural areas.
"He might approach people to ask for water or casual labouring work.
"Alternatively he may return to Bristol or other urban centres to shelter in disused buildings and to search bins for food."
If you see Phipps, members of the public are encouraged to call 999 with the reference number 5222130002.
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