Police admit losing track of seven sex offenders

Six of the those on the register are believed still to be in the UK but the seventh is thought to have fled abroad.

The news, released by Sussex Police under the Freedom of Information Act, has alarmed support groups for people who have been victims of sexual abuse and attack.

It comes after convicted paedophile Joshua Karney was captured while on the run in Brighton.

The Argus can reveal today Karney, who had been on the run since 2005, could have been in the area for as long as four months.

A spokeswoman for the charity Victim Support said of the missing sex offenders: "Obviously this is of huge concern to us as the victims are out there as well.

"We would hope all the authorities involved are doing everything they can to address the situation and track these people down."

A spokeswoman for the Brighton-based Survivors Network told The Argus: "As an organisation which supports and works with women who were sexually abused in childhood, we are concerned about how this news will affect our local service users.

"Any female survivors of abuse who feel distressed by this information can find details of our services can contact us."

Sussex Police have 19 full-time officers who deal exclusively with monitoring violent criminals and sex offenders with a further three working part-time.

Officers make unannounced homes visits to offenders in the very high risk category each month, high risk cases every three months, medium risk every six months and low risk once a year.

The frequency of visits is determined by regular risk assessments of each individual case.

Each of the force's four territorial divisions also has a public protection unit.

Irish-born Karney had slipped through the fingers of Lancashire Constabulary last November but was captured by Sussex detectives in Western Road, Hove, last Thursday.

Karney became one of Britain's most wanted men after going missing while released from a Lancashire prison on licence.

Members of the public have called Sussex Police to say they spotted him in the city as long ago as October last year.

Detectives are investigating the claims. They had until now believed he was in the north of England at that time.

Karney was arrested in Barnsley in November for being drunk and disorderly but gave a false name.

South Yorkshire Police admitted on Wednesday they had released him with a fine before realising he was a wanted man.

He is thought to have spent the five years he was on the run in homeless hostels around the country.

Other sightings were reported in Leeds, Wakefield and Dorset.

Sussex Police are contacting hostels in Brighton and Hove to find out where he lived and how long he had been in the city when he was caught.

DI Paul Funnell, who led the operation by Sussex Police's Brighton and Hove Proactive Unit to arrest Karney, said: "We will be contacting a number of places to try to follow up where he may have been staying.

"We are trying to work out a timeline of him being here."

Karney, 30, is not currently suspected of any offences against children in Sussex.

Officers are investigating whether there any links between him and reported crimes in the county.

Police from Lancashire were understood to have collected him from a police custody centre in Hollingbury, Brighton, on Friday and returned him to jail.

Karney was camping in Barnoldswick, near Burnley in Lancashire, when he indecently assaulted a 14-year-old boy in 2002.

He had plied the youth with cider before trying to grope him.

He was jailed for 15 months, given an extended licence period of two years, banned from working with children and ordered to sign the Sex Offenders' Register for 10 years.

He had only served only four months of his 15-month sentence when he was released.

He went missing from a Blackburn bail hostel in April 2003.

He will now face a Parole Board hearing to decide how long he should serve and will probably spend the next two years ñ the rest of his licence period - behind bars.