£3000 reward in hunt for sex offender linked to Perth attacks

Charity Crimestoppers has offered a £3000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of sex offender Lee Cyrus, who has been linked to attacks on women in Perth.

Cyrus, 47, who is also known as Ivan Leach, went missing from North Sea Camp open prison in Boston, Lincolnshire, after a day release on October 9.

He has since been linked to two attacks on women in their own homes in Perth.

A 68-year-old woman was attacked and robbed at her home in the Potterhill area on October 14 and the following day a 23-year-old woman was woken and raped by an intruder at her home in the same part of the city.

The following day a mattress was stolen from the rape victim's home. The mattress was later recovered from the River Tay by specialist dive teams.

On Tuesday Lancashire Constabulary said the hunt for Cyrus is continuing and reiterated that the public should remain vigilant.

The force said the last confirmed sighting of Leach was on the evening of Friday, October 19 in Lea, Preston and that there was also an unconfirmed sighting of him the following day in Nottingham city centre.

Detective chief inspector Ian Dawson of Preston Police said: "Whilst Leach remains at large he continues to pose a serious threat to members of the public. He has previous convictions for burglary, sex offences against a young girl, assault and robberies in which he has targeted elderly people in their own homes.

"We believe he could be sleeping rough and travelling extensively throughout the country, most likely on public transport. His appearance is likely to have changed over the past few weeks as a reflection of his current lifestyle and we believe he may have stubble or may now have grown a beard and look unkempt."

DCI Dawson continued: "He has a number of friends, family and associates in Preston and prior to his sentence lived and offended in the Preston area so it is likely that he will gravitate back to the city.

"We are liaising with a number of other forces and have a huge number of resources dedicated to tracking him down and apprehending him but we need the public's help.

"I'd reassure people that we follow up every potential sighting of him so I'd urge people to call police if you think you see him or know of his current whereabouts."

Last week Tayside Police carried out a huge search of the area around Kinnoull Hill, near Perth, after an off-duty police officer spotted a "suspicious male".

Police in Preston, Lancashire, have also released CCTV footage appearing to show the sex offender making sexual advances to two 15-year-old girls.

A man matching Cyrus's description was filmed walking through the town just before 7pm on October 17.

The two girls later told police they had been approached by a man at a bus stop who asked them to participate in sexual activities with him.

Cyrus is serving a life sentence for robbery and in the past has committed a series of violent offences in his native Lancashire, including forcing his way into the home of a 90-year-old woman.

Members of the public have been warned not to approach Cyrus but to contact the police.

Cyrus is described as white, around 5ft 11ins tall, of stocky build with cropped hair and hazel eyes.

He has a distinctive scar on his top lip under his nose and two distinctive tattoos, one with the name Annette on the bicep of his left arm and a figure of a barbarian woman on the back of his right shoulder blade.

He was last seen wearing a black waterproof jacket, dark trousers and carrying a full rucksack.

Anyone with information that could assist the investigation should call Tayside Police on the incident room number on 0300 111 2255 or speak to any officer.

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