Police hunting fugitive Ivan Leach believe he may have travelled by coach to London.
Officers now have information that Leach caught a bus at Nottingham on October 20th and got off in London. Officers from Lancashire are travelling to the capital to investigate and to distribute wanted posters.
The last confirmed sighting of Leach came from CCTV footage which shows 47-year-old Leach at a Barclay’s Bank cash machine in Nottingham city centre at 11.13 am on Saturday, October 20th.
Police have also received more than 100 possible unconfirmed sightings.
Leach, also known as Lee Cyrus, went missing from North Sea Camp open prison, Boston, Lincolnshire on Tuesday 9th October after going on day release and police forces across England and Scotland continue to work together in an effort to track him down.
Posters have been distributed across England and Scotland appearing on buses, in shops, community centres, hospitals, and in bus and train stations.
Detective Supt Withers said: “We believe that Leach travelled to London by coach in October and got off in the capital. We are making enquiries to try to trace him and I have sent officers to London in a bid to try to trace him.
“We are continuing to liaise with a number of other forces across England and Scotland and have a huge number of resources dedicated to tracking him down but we also need the public’s help.
“I want to 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.
“I would also like to warn anyone who may be harbouring him that if they know where he is, and they fail to notify police, action will be taken against them.
‘‘At the same time I would appeal directly to Leach, wherever he is, to hand himself in. Police forces across the UK are alert to the fact that has absconded and given the publicity of the past weeks, his face is now well known within communities across England and Scotland. He should do the right thing and give himself up.’’
Leach was born in Preston and has connections across the city as well as in South Ribble. He is known to have been in the city on a number of occasions since he absconded, but he could be anywhere in the country. Enquiries are also ongoing in Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and Tayside.
Officers have warned Leach should not, under any circumstances, be approached as he poses a significant risk.
Leach is described as white; around five feet 11 inches tall, of stocky build with cropped hair and hazel eyes. His 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.
Since he absconded he may also have grown a beard and moustache and may change his appearance to evade capture.
Anyone with any information in England is asked to contact police by calling 101 if in Scotland, people are asked to call 999 (the 101 service is not yet available in Scotland). People with information can also contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or on-line at Crimestoppers-uk.org. No personal details are taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court.