Fugitive paedophile in homeless claim to get food

A PAEDOPHILE on the run from gardaí duped people in East Cork into giving him free meals after he told them he was homeless because his wife has thrown him out.

Gardaí hunting for 36-year-old James Lombard said he has spent several days in the area since his disappearance, after assuming a false identity.

Lombard was convicted of sexually assaulting seven boys at fast food outlets and public swimming pools in Cork city between 1992 and 1994.

“We are very anxious to track him down. He is a big risk and we’re following up a number of sightings made in the past 24 hours. We’re asking anybody who knows where he’s staying to please come forward,” Detective Sergeant Denis Cahill said yesterday.

Mr Lombard, who is unmarried, has also been sighted in Dublin.

Detectives say the paedophile, from the Sunday’s Well/Blarney St area of Cork city, was given meals by people living in East Cork after he told them he was homeless and hungry as his wife had thrown him out.

Last Friday, Cork Circuit Criminal Court allowed the media to identify Lombard after an application by gardaí. A warrant was issued for his arrest after he failed to appear before the court on Monday, February 7, for the closing of the case against him. He collected his dole in the city at 9am that morning.

Lombard is 5’8”, of heavy build, with short brown hair and green eyes.

He lived in England for 10 years and speaks with a slight Cockney accent, gardaí say.

“He’s well-spoken and mannerly and has assumed false identities on two previous occasions. His tales may often seem very plausible but he is a danger to children and we need to pin him down,” Det Sgt Cahill said.

“He may be living on the street but he has to eat and could target people with tales about why he is down on his luck,” he warned.

Authorities at airports and ports have been given photofits and a description of the sex offender in case he tries to leave the country.

Meanwhile, in a separate incident in Cork, Barrack Street gardaí are continuing their hunt for a man who sexually assaulted a 10-year-old girl at Parkowen, off Douglas Street, eight days ago.

They are appealing for anyone who saw the man, 5’10” in height, of stocky build, with short brown hair, in the area at 11am last Sunday. He was wearing a green/grey jacket and blue jeans.

He accompanied the youngster along Douglas Street around 10.45am and is believed to have left the area by taxi shortly after 11am.