On-the-run sex offender joins most wanted list with £10,000 reward for his capture after he disappeared when girlfriend was found ‘murdered’ in his home

• Police are hunting on-the-run sex offender Richard Scatchard since October 15
• His partner Kelly Faiers, 61, was found dead at Statchard’s Somerset home 

A £10,000 bounty has been put on the head of on-the-run sex offender Richard Scatchard after a woman he befriended was later found dead.

As police advised people ‘do not approach him’, Crimestoppers put up the £10,000 carrot for his capture.

They’ve been hunting him since partner Kelly Faiers, 61, was found dead at his Somerset home on October 15th.

One theory is that he’s sweet-talked another woman into letting him hide away from the law.

Richard Scatchard, pictured, is wanted  by police after his partner was found dead at his home in Somerset in October

Kelly Faiers’ body was discovered at the home of Richard Scatchard in Somerset on October 16

Murder cops rushed to 70-year-old Scatchard’s property to quiz him over the alleged murder.

But he disappeared from the scene, sparking a manhunt which has been going on for almost two months.

Scatchard, who is known for using dating apps, was previously convicted of drugging his victims before committing horrific sexual offences.

Scatchard, who also goes by the name Dunlop, is described as white, medium build with grey receding hair.

READ MORE: Police release CCTV footage of on-the-run sex offender

Anyone with information is urged to call cops on 999 or anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Crimestoppers said ‘Detectives leading the search for wanted man Richard Scatchard are continuing to ask anyone with information to come forward.

‘Scatchard is wanted on a recall to prison. We also want to talk to him in connection with a murder enquiry, after the death of 61-year-old Kelly Faiers at his home, in Minehead, during the early hours of Sunday 15 October.

‘The 70-year-old is considered a risk to the public, specifically women he forms relationships with.

‘He is a regular user of dating apps and has previously been convicted of sexual offences in which he administered drugs to his victims to enable his crimes.

‘We believe Scatchard spent the night after Kelly’s death – the 15-16 October – in the Watchet area, which is confirmed with CCTV.

‘One person, who knew Scatchard, has since told us they saw him later that same morning wearing light-coloured shorts when they were driving along Blenheim Road in Minehead.

‘Scatchard is described as a white man, about 5ft 11ins and has a Scottish accent. He’s known to have used the name Richard Dunlop previously.

‘If you see Scatchard, do not approach, instead phone 999 and provide the call handler with the reference 5223259285.

‘If you know where he may be, please call 101 and give the call handler the reference same reference number or complete our online appeals form.’

Avon and Somerset Police said last month ‘Scatchard was last known to have been captured on CCTV, when he was seen in West Somerset on Monday 16 October’

Avon and Somerset Police said last month ‘Scatchard was last known to have been captured on CCTV, when he was seen in West Somerset on Monday 16 October.

‘Despite approximately 80 reported sightings from people trying to help our enquiries, none of them since that date have been confirmed as Scatchard.

‘Scatchard is wanted on a recall to prison.

‘We also want to talk to him in connection with a murder enquiry, after the death of 61-year-old Kelly Faiers at his home, in Minehead, during the early hours of Sunday 15 October.

‘The 70-year-old is considered a risk to the public, specifically women he forms relationships with.

‘He is a regular user of dating apps and has previously been convicted of sexual offences in which he administered drugs his victims to enable his crimes.

‘We know Kelly and Scatchard, who were in a relationship, went out to The Duke of Wellington pub, in Minehead, on the evening of Saturday 14 October.

‘CCTV shows them having a drink together.

‘In the early hours of the following morning, Scatchard called the ambulance service to his home, in Blenheim Road, due to Kelly being critically ill.

‘Sadly she was pronounced deceased by medics at the scene.

‘Police were called minutes later by the ambulance service at 4.15am, as is normal procedure following a unexpected sudden death.

‘Officers spoke with Scatchard before leaving the scene.

‘On the afternoon of Monday 16 October, we wished to ask Scatchard further questions and again attended his home address, where his property was found to be empty.

‘Scatchard was initially considered to be missing before new information led us to issuing a wanted appeal for him.

The night before Ms Faiers’ death, she was seen in the Duke of Wellington pub in Minehead along with Scatchard

‘We believe Scatchard spent the night after Kelly’s death – the 15-16 October – in the Watchet area, which he used to regularly visit.

‘CCTV captured at about 9am on Monday 16 October shows Scatchard in the Swain Street area of Watchet. This is the last sighting on CCTV we have of Scatchard.

‘One person, who knew Scatchard, has since told us they saw him later that same morning wearing light-coloured shorts when they were driving along Blenheim Road in Minehead.

‘Previous public appeals have culminated in more than 80 calls and online reports of potential sightings.

‘We continue to analyse every one of them, but those that have been reviewed have either been discounted or there is insufficient evidence to determine whether it is Scatchard.

‘The vast majority of the reported sightings have come in the West Somerset area, but we remain mindful he may have travelled to another part of the country.

‘The National Crime Agency is supporting our efforts to locate Scatchard. It has provided specialist advice to help us develop our continuing search plans in a bid to find him.

‘Enquiries into Kelly’s death are now being led by our Major Crime Investigation Team (MCIT).

‘Senior Investigating Officer Detective Superintendent Gary Haskins said ‘The forensic post-mortem examination carried out shortly after Kelly’s death proved inconclusive.

‘The circumstances behind Kelly’s death are still unclear despite further test results, but it continues to be treated as suspicious. We still wish to speak to Scatchard to see if he can help us progress our enquiries.

‘We desperately want to provide Kelly’s family with the answers they deserve as soon as we can.

‘The other equally important focus we have, which we particularly want the public’s help with, is the search for Scatchard.

‘We are hugely appreciative of everyone who has sought to help our enquiries, from people calling in with information to locals putting in their business windows the wanted posters the Minehead neighbourhood team has distributed.

‘We have also had constructive conversations with the National Crime Agency who are providing us support with these searches, for which we are grateful.

‘Ultimately, the best chance of us apprehending Scatchard is by a member of the public calling in with key information about his whereabouts.

‘This may be through a chance sighting or even someone who has previously been reluctant to come forward – either way we’d please encourage those people to call 999.

‘And if Scatchard sees this appeal, we’d urge him to do the right thing and to hand himself in.

‘If you see Scatchard, do not approach, instead phone 999 and provide the call handler with the reference 5223259285.

‘If you know where he may be, please call 101 and give the call handler the reference same reference number, or complete our online appeals form.

‘You can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers 100 per cent anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via their Anonymous Online Form.

‘No personal details are taken, information cannot be traced or recorded and you will not go to court or have to speak to police when contacting Crimestoppers.’

Detectives have previously expressed fears that he has sweet-talked a waman and she is helping him hide from the law.

Police have been hunting for the Scots-speaking, ageing Lothario since Kelly was found dead at his West Country home last month.

But there’s been no sign despite a nationwide manhunt and they fear he has talked a woman into shielding him.

She may be blind to the dangers – he poses a serious risk to women he forms relationships with, Avon and Somerset Police say.

He is wanted on recall to prison and in connection with a murder investigation after the body of Kelly Faiers, 61, was found at his home in Minehead, Somerset.

Murder Squad detectives say smooth-talking Scatchard had ‘been in contact with many, many women from all over the country’.

Det Chief Insp Jess Aston said ‘One of our hypotheses is that someone may be harbouring him, and I would be very, very concerned if that was a female harbouring him.

‘Or he may be living outdoors, or in an outbuilding. So we would urge people to check if they have an outbuilding on their property and there are any signs of it being disturbed.

‘He’s wanted on recall because he has a a life licence and one of those conditions is he needs to notify the probation service of any intended intimate relationship.

‘We know that he was in a relationship with Kelly. He did not disclose that to the probation service.

‘We also know from our extensive inquiries that he’s been in contact with many, many women from all over the country.

‘Although there is lots of work going on in the background to locate him, and searches over land, sea and air, our best chances of finding him are through the public’s help’ she added.

Avon and Somerset Police defended its decision not to tell the public for several days that Scatchard was a convicted sex offender when the force made an initial appeal over his disappearance.

‘I can understand people’s anger, but the police’s primary duty is to the preservation of life’ said DCI Aston, adding that police had ‘serious concerns for Scratchard’s welfare.

‘The case has been referred to our Professional Standards Department and it’s still being reviewed by them.’

Police have distributed wanted posters for shopkeepers in Minehead to display in their windows, and have been carrying out house-to-house inquiries in the Dunster Beach area.

Residents in Minehead said they were concerned that Scatchard had not yet been located and remained at large.

‘If I was out at night, I would be very wary’ Christine Seymour said.

‘I wouldn’t walk down the street alone at night’ said her friend Jenny Boyles.

In 2000, he was convicted for administering substances to women and sexually assaulting them.

He went to prison and was released in 2013, initially into the Cheshire area, then he moved to Minehead in September 2020.

There have been 55 reported, but unconfirmed, sightings of him, the majority in Minehead and Watchet.

People are urged to call 999 immediately if they see him, and not to approach him, police said.

He is described as white, about 5ft 11ins (180cm), of average build with short grey hair.

He speaks with a Scottish accent and has previously claimed to be called Richard Dunlop.

Police have been searching for him since October 16th, at first listing him as a missing person, but the hunt has been escalated into a possible murder inquiry after Kelly’s body was found at his home in Minehead on Sunday October 22nd.

DCI Aston said ‘Scatchard is a prolific user of dating apps and a number of years ago was convicted of sexual offences in which he administered drugs to his victims to enable his crimes.

‘We have a number of hypotheses about what has happened to Scatchard but remain anxious given the risk he poses he could have formed a new relationship with one or more women.

‘It is possible he may be trying to avoid being seen by anyone given the publicity about this investigation and therefore we would encourage anyone to contact us if they have an outbuilding or a remote building that looks like it may have been accessed by someone.

‘We have received more than 50 reported sightings of him as our enquiries to find him continue.’

Detectives are still urging anyone with information to come forward and are issuing a new photo that was taken earlier this year.

DCI Aston said ‘The circumstances of Kelly’s tragic death remain unclear. A forensic post-mortem examination has been carried out and proved to be inconclusive.

‘We are waiting further test results to come back which we hope will enable us to provide Kelly’s family with the answers they deserve. A specially-trained family liaison officer is supporting them at this difficult time and ensuring they are updated.’

Efforts to trace Scatchard’s movements have been carried out since police returned to his home address in Blenheim Road on Monday 16 October to ask him further questions about Kelly’s death – and found he had disappeared.

Police said today ‘Multiple public appeals seeking details about his whereabouts have been made in the past fortnight, which provided us with new information about the risk he poses.

‘Scatchard is white, about 5ft 11ins tall, of average build with short grey hair.

‘He has a Scottish accent and has previously claimed to be called Richard Dunlop.

‘Given the amount of time since his last sighting however there is a chance he may look dishevelled.

‘We received information early on that he may be using a grey Gepida Alboin Curve electric bike, but we believe he could have a normal push bike instead.

‘The last confirmed sighting of Scatchard remains about 10am in Blenheim Road, Minehead, on Monday 16 October.

‘We have received 55 reported sightings of him, which we are following up by speaking to those callers and analysing CCTV footage to try to establish if they are indeed Scatchard.’

DCI Aston said ‘Many of these as yet unconfirmed sightings have been in Minehead or in the surrounding areas and extensive searches by officers are taking place in those areas.

‘The local neighbourhood team are also carrying out extra high-visibility patrols in the area.

‘A community letter and a poster with Scatchard’s photo on it are being distributed too, in a bid to further encourage people with information to come forward.

‘We are also working with other police forces across the country too.

‘We know he has recent links to the Cornwall, Gwent and South Wales while previous links include the Cheshire and Leicestershire areas.

‘Our absolute priority remains to locate Scatchard and see if he can assist with our enquiries.

‘Richard, if you see this, it is not too late to do the right thing and hand yourself in.

‘If you see Scatchard, do not approach, instead phone 999 and provide the call handler with the reference 5223259285. If you know where he may be, please call 101 and give the same reference number.

‘If you can help, please complete our online appeals form.

‘You can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers 100 per cent anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via their Anonymous Online Form.

‘No personal details are taken, information cannot be traced or recorded and you will not go to court or have to speak to police when contacting Crimestoppers.’

He was last seen in Minehead on 16 October but police concede now he ‘could be anywhere in the country’.

They have warned the public – especially women – to stay away from him.

He has previously been convicted of sexual offences in which he drugged his victims.

Police say Kelly’s death is being treated as suspicious while the force awaits the results of further tests.

DCI Aston said ‘Our thoughts are with Kelly’s family at this tragic time and we’re doing all we can to provide them with the answers they deserve.

‘We initially treated Scatchard as a high-risk missing person due to concerns he presented an immediate and serious risk of harm to himself.

‘As our inquiry has progressed, we have become less worried about his welfare and far more concerned about the danger he presents to other people.

‘His previous behaviour, along with information we have gathered since his disappearance, makes us anxious that he may have formed a new relationship with one or more women and that he presents a serious risk to their safety.

‘We’re using a wide range of resources and tactics to try and locate him but have so far been unsuccessful.

‘Extensive searches continue to be carried out on both land and at sea in the Minehead area but we really need the public’s help.

‘We continue to ask people to call 999 immediately if they see him. Do not approach him as we do not know how he may react.

‘We’re also keen to hear from anyone who might know where he is or has knowledge of who he’s been in contact with recently.

‘This is a complex investigation and our understanding of what may have happened to Kelly continues to evolve.

‘Our absolute priority is to find Scatchard and see if he can assist with our enquiries.’

He was convicted of eight offences at Warrington Crown Court in 2000.

Formerly of Wilmslow Crescent, Thelwall, and said to be a personnel manager, he pleaded guilty to eight offences at Warrington Crown Court – three charges of drugging his victims, two charges of indecent assault, one attempted rape, one charge of theft and one charge of burglary.

At the time, the court heard of Scatchard’s depraved obsession with drugging women he shared relationships with in order to create explicit videos.

One of his partners told the court that when she discovered intimate, non-consensual images of herself, she moved away from Scatchard’s area.

He later broke into her home, stole personal papers so he could find her and even sprayed battery acid around the house destroying possessions worth thousands of pounds.

Sentencing Scatchard in 2000, Judge Hale said ‘You have pleaded guilty to three sexual offences directed towards three women who showed you considerable kindness and love.

‘In each case, you drugged them for your own purposes to commit offences.

‘You are in my view a considerable danger to any woman with whom you enter a relationship.

‘These are very grave sexual offences demanding a sentence of life imprisonment.

‘I say that because I cannot predict at what stage you would be safe to release.’

Source: Read Full Article