NHS review ordered after escaped child rapist traced

A health board has confirmed it will carry out a review into how a child rapist absconded while on escorted community leave.

Cliff Lyons Dobbie escaped while on leave in Perth City Centre on Friday. Police Scotland confirmed he was traced on Saturday.

Dobbie, who is a restricted patient, has been detained in secure units since 1990 after he raped a 10-year-old girl in Glasgow.

NHS Tayside said missing patient procedures had been followed but a review into the circumstances surrounding the incident will take place.

A health board spokesperson said: "NHS Tayside has a policy in place which has procedures for staff to follow in the case of a missing patient, and these have been followed in this instance.

"We take the safety of the public, our patients, and staff very seriously and we will be carrying out a full review of the circumstances surrounding this incident.

"We are continuing to work with Police Scotland at this time."

No details about how Dobbie escaped or where he was found have been issued.

More stories from Tayside and Central

Listen to news from Tayside and Central on BBC Sounds

Dobbie - who has also gone by the name Clifford Lyons and by Dobbie - was admitted to Carstairs after the attack on the 10-year-old girl.

At the time he was on bail for another sex offence - molesting a 12-year-old boy after luring him into a field and forcing him to strip.

Secure facilities, such as Carstairs, are used to house people who have committed murder, rape and other serious offences but have been judged by doctors to be mentally ill and in need of treatment.

In 2011 Dobbie brought a judicial review at the Court of Session in Edinburgh against a plan to ban junk food to combat inmate obesity at Carstairs.

He won the legal bid after he successfully claimed he needed high energy drinks and protein bars for his fitness regime.

Police search for child rapist who escaped community leave in Perth