A CONVICTED paedophile from Dorset is one of five named on a new "Most Wanted" list of Britain's most dangerous sex offenders.

Paul Turner, in his early 50s, has gone missing since his release from prison, and his details have been placed on a new website, considered a "last resort" for police.

The site, at www.ceop.gov.uk/wanted, was launched on Friday by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre, to track down paedophiles who have failed to comply with legal restrictions on their movements.

It gives a full physical description but no details of Mr Turner's offences because he has already served his time.

He is around 6ft tall, slim, with grey hair, and has several tattoos on his arms, including a panther, a heart, the word "Paul", an eagle and shield, Tweety Pie and a swallow. He also uses the name Paul Geddes and Paul Francis.

A Crimewatch report from 2004 claims he is wanted for possession of indecent images and spends a lot of time around Bournemouth, Poole and Southampton.

Also featured on the site are Gordon Stewart, Alexander Dalgleish, Joshua Karney and Kamil Krawiec.

Michele Elliott, director of child protection charity Kidscape, said: "This site is a great idea and will hopefully lead to communities being more informed about sex offenders.

"The one thing I don't agree with is not giving the details of their offences. By absconding, these men have forfeited any right to privacy."

The site is the first nationwide approach to finding sex offenders. Crimestoppers have been running a similar general crime list for a year with great success, resulting in 24 arrests.

Breaching a control order can lead to five years in prison. Last month, 1,300 out of 30,000 registered sex offenders failed to stay in touch with police.

The site remains a last resort, because authorities are keen not to encourage vigilantism.

A spokesperson for CEOP said: "We have many ways of tracking these people down. Putting them on the site means we have exhausted all other ways."

But for Kidscape, the website represents a more general failing in the system.

Ms Elliott said: "The real issue is why are we letting out of prison people who are potentially dangerous? We need a serious look at sentencing."

  • If you have any information about any of the men featured, you should contact the police on 01202 222222 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

PAUL TURNER

Location:

Connections to south coast of England. May be abroad or in Europe

Date of incident:

Turner has failed to comply with his notification requirements under the Sexual Offences Act 2003.

Street Name:

Paul Francis, Paul Geddes

Physical Description

Sex:

Male

Age Range:

50-55

Height:

180 - 185 cm (approx 6' 0")

Build:

Slim

Hair colour:

Grey

Distinguishing marks:

Small stab wound scar in small of back, top of left thumb cut off. Left forearm, Panther, heart, "Paul" tattoos Left upper arm, eagle and shield tattoo Right upper arm, "Tweety Pie" Right forearm, Swallow, "Rook"

Additional info:

blue eyes