Police on the hunt for high-risk sex offender who skipped court date
A sex offender has not been seen by police for more than three months and they fear he now runs a higher risk of re-offending.
Registered sex offender Darren McDonald, 53, is known to sleep rough and Victoria Police believe he may be frequenting the St Albans and inner-west Melbourne areas.
Registered sex offender Darren McDonald, 53, has not been seen by police since December 17.
Police last saw McDonald on December 17 in the CBD when they arrested and charged him for being drunk in a public place, offensive behaviour and a dishonesty-based offence.
He was bailed to face the Melbourne Magistrates Court on March 15 but failed to show up.
Assistant Commissioner Neil Paterson said McDonald was placed on the sex offenders register for 15 years after he was released from jail in 2009.
But he said McDonald had a much longer history of drug use, violence, burglary and theft.
"In terms of McDonald's prior history with police, he has a lengthy criminal history," Mr Paterson said.
McDonald was placed on the register after "a sexual assault on two people under the age of 16" in country Victoria.
That incident, which occurred in the west of the state in 2001, began as an aggravated burglary "which then involved sex offences as well", Mr Paterson said.
Mr Paterson said when sex offenders did not comply with their reporting obligations, their risk of re-offending increased.
McDonald is required to report his residence every year but must tell police of a change of address immediately. Prior to going on the run he had a registered address but is no longer there.
Mr Paterson said police were appealing to the public almost two weeks after McDonald skipped court after exhausting all other avenues of apprehending him.
"When a registered sex offender goes missing, Victoria Police knows that if you go public you can send them underground and it can be then quite difficult to locate a person," he said.
He said police conduct regular patrols of locations where the sex offenders are known to frequent, make inquiries at their last known address, talk with their family and associates as well as with community and health providers.
Mr Paterson said McDonald was "certainly itinerant at this stage" and was known to sleep rough. He said it was possible the sex offender had gone interstate, but McDonald had no known associates outside Victoria.
McDonald is described as being about 168cm tall with a thin build, straight, short grey hair and blue eyes, and possibly has a beard and moustache.
He has a piercing in the top of his left ear and a number of tattoos, including a star on his right ear, a dragon on his left arm and a pair of fish on his right upper arm.
There are two arrest warrants out for McDonald, one for skipping court and another for failing to report his whereabouts as a sex offender.
Anyone who sights Mr McDonald is urged to contact triple-0 immediately. Anyone with other information about his whereabouts is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or make a confidential report online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.