Police Scotland have traced Cliff Lyons Dobbie, a restricted patient convicted of child rape, who absconded during escorted community leave in Perth city centre. Dobbie, described as a white male roughly 5ft 3in (1.6m) tall with a stocky, muscular build, had been held in secure psychiatric units since 1990 following the rape of a 10-year-old girl in Glasgow. Officers confirmed on Saturday that he had been found, though no details have been released about how he escaped or where he was located.
According to the Mirror, the escape took place the day before the search was first reported, and Dobbie remained at large for a period before being traced. A subsequent update confirmed that Police Scotland said Dobbie had been traced, with no further information disclosed about the circumstances of his recovery.
What does Dobbie look like?
He is bald, has light blue eyes and a noticeable squint. At the time he went missing, he was wearing white trainers, light blue ripped jeans, a salmon-coloured golf shirt and a light blue jumper, along with a black cap and thick black-rimmed glasses. He was also carrying a black backpack and a black puffer jacket.
Dobbie has distinctive tattoos on both arms — two blue tiger-like eyes on his right arm and a blue and red Rangers emblem on his left. He speaks with a strong Glaswegian accent and is known to have connections to Glasgow and the surrounding area.
What has NHS Tayside said about the disappearance?
NHS Tayside confirmed it was cooperating with Police Scotland but declined to discuss specifics of the case, citing patient confidentiality obligations. A spokesperson said:
"Due to patient confidentiality, we cannot discuss matters relating to an individual patient. 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 are working closely with Police Scotland on this matter."
Insp Kris McCall of Police Scotland had said he was particularly interested in hearing from anyone who had seen or spoken with Dobbie since Thursday. Following the search, officers confirmed on Saturday that Dobbie had been traced, though it remains unclear whether this appeal contributed to locating him.
What is Dobbie's criminal history?
Dobbie, who has also used the names Clifford Lyons and Dobbie, was committed to the State Hospital at Carstairs following his conviction for raping the 10-year-old girl in Glasgow in 1990. At the time of that offence, he was already on bail for a separate sexual assault involving a 12-year-old boy, whom he lured into a field and forced to strip.
Carstairs and similar secure facilities are used to detain individuals who have committed murder, rape and other serious violent or sexual offences but have been assessed by medical professionals as suffering from mental illness requiring treatment rather than standard imprisonment.
In 2011, Dobbie successfully challenged a proposed ban on junk food at Carstairs, which had been introduced to tackle inmate obesity. He brought a judicial review before the Court of Session in Edinburgh and won, arguing that he required high-energy drinks and protein bars to support his fitness routine.
This case adds to a series of recent sexual offence prosecutions in Scotland. In one earlier case, a man was jailed under an order for lifelong restriction after abducting and raping a 15-year-old girl in Edinburgh. In another, a police officer was jailed for 10 years for raping two women and abusing a third, with Police Scotland later apologising for communication failings in that investigation.
Key Facts
- Cliff Lyons Dobbie absconded during escorted community leave in Perth city centre.
- He had been detained since 1990 for raping a 10-year-old girl in Glasgow.
- He was on bail for molesting a 12-year-old boy at the time of that offence.
- NHS Tayside and Police Scotland jointly searched for him after members of the public were urged not to approach him.
- Police Scotland confirmed on Saturday that Dobbie had been traced, though no details of his recovery have been released.
