A REWARD of £10,000 has been put up for anyone giving information that leads to the arrest of a convicted sex offender wanted for questioning over a murder in Minehead.
Richard Scatchard has been placed on Crimestoppers' Most Wanted list after disappearing following the death of a woman in his home in the seaside town almost two months ago.
Members of the public are warned not to approach 70-year-old Scatchard if they see him but to instead contact the charity anonymously if they know where he is hiding.
Karen MacDonald, Crimestoppers West Country regional manager, said the large cash reward is on offer for information received exclusively by the charity that leads to his arrest.
She added: "This man is dangerous and needs to be found urgently.
"If you know where he is, but prefer not to talk to the police, you can contact our charity and tell us anonymously what you know.
“As a charity that’s independent of the police, Crimestoppers has always kept its promise of anonymity since we began in the 1980s.
"Millions of people have trusted us over the decades with their crime information.
“Please call our UK Contact Centre on freephone 0800 555 111, which is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, or fill in our website’s secure anonymous online form.
"No one will ever know you contacted us.
"We cannot trace your call or track your IP address and we never ask for or record any personal details.
"By sharing what you know, you’ll be helping to keep communities safe and avoiding any police or court contact.
"No one will ever know that you got in touch with our charity.”
READ MORE: Timeline leading up to Richard Scatchard's disappearance.
Scatchard is wanted in connection with the police murder enquiry into the death in his Blenheim Road home in the early hours of Sunday, October 15, of Kelly Faiers, 61, with whom he was in a relationship.
Police attended the property that day and returned the following day, by which time Scatchard, who is considered a risk to woman he forms relationships with, had vanished.
There have been dozens of reported sightings of him since and he was captured on CCTV in Swain Street, Watchet, the morning after Ms Faiers' death, but officers have drawn a blank in their search for him.
READ MORE: Police hunt for Richard Scatchard.
Scatchard is described as white, about 5ft 11ins tall and has a Scottish accent. He’s known to have used the name Richard Dunlop previously.
*Crimestoppers will only pay the £10,000 reward for information leading to Scatchard's arrest if it is passed directly to the charity and not to the police.
A reward code must be asked for when calling Crimestoppers.
The reward is available until March 6, 2024.
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