Richard Scatchard: Avon and Somerset Police refer complaint to watchdog
They have voluntarily referred themselves to the IOPC after receiving a complaint over the response to the missing wanted man
Last updated 9th Jan 2024
Avon and Somerset Police have referred themselves to the watchdog over the search for a missing sex offender from Minehead, Somerset.
Detectives have been looking for 70-year-old Richard Scatchard since October, when the body of Kelly Faiers was found at his home in the town.
After a formal complaint from Kelly's family, the force have referred themselves to the IOPC for investigations.
The 70-year-old, originally from Scotland, is considered a risk to the public and was added to the Crimestoppers 'Most Wanted' list last month.
He has links to Cornwall and South Wales.
In a statement from Avon and Somerset Police, they said: "We continue to conduct searches to find Richard Scatchard, who is wanted on a prison recall and who we wish to speak to in connection with the death of Kelly Faiers in Minehead in October.
"We have made a number of public appeals and a Crimestoppers reward remains live for information that could lead to his arrest. We urge anyone with information about his whereabouts to contact us.
"As previously stated, Scatchard 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 have received a large number of reported sightings of Scatchard since he was last seen on the morning of Monday 16 October. These have been reviewed, but none have been confirmed as the 70-year-old.
"The National Crime Agency has been supporting our efforts to locate Scatchard by providing specialist advice to help us develop our continuing search plans in a bid to find him.
"Kelly's death continues to be treated as a murder inquiry at this time. Family liaison officers are in regular contact with her family to keep them updated and to provide support.
"We can confirm we have recently received a complaint from Kelly's family in respect to the police response. The complaint has been voluntarily referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) on Thursday 4 January.
"Our Professional Standards Department was made aware of the incident and our response at an early stage and we will assist the IOPC in any way we can in relation to the complaint received."
If you see Scatchard, do not approach him, instead you are told to phone 999 and provide the call handler with the reference 5223259285.
Read more: Richard Scatchard: Crimestoppers offers £10,000 reward for Minehead sex offender