Warning on ‘high-risk’ sex offender

THE public have been warned not to approach one of the North’s most dangerous sex offenders who may be in the Republic as a cross-border initiative to tighten security gathers momentum.

An Garda and the PSNI are involved in the hunt for Ernest George Finlay, 53, a convicted sex offender, who is considered violent and dangerous.

Finlay, who may have fled south after failing to comply with his post-custody release conditions, is in the highest category risk bracket. He is described as being about 5’8”, of medium build, with blue eyes and brown hair.

He also has a small gap between his upper two front teeth and has several tattoos, three of which are on his arms, among them an image of a horse’s head.

Meanwhile, data-sharing measures to stop sex offenders exploiting the border to flee from the law have been agreed by authorities on both sides.

Justice Minister Dermot Ahern met the North’s security minister Paul Goggins at Hillsborough yesterday.

“We are determined that sex offenders cannot use the border to flee justice and we have been looking at how we can change our systems and legislation to ensure that the border is not used,” he said.

“We have given the go-ahead to align the IT systems and databases so that we are absolutely up to speed,” said Mr Ahern.

He said both jurisdictions were considering exchanging staff so common knowledge can be built. “We are both agreed that the whole issue of sex offenders on the island would be a top priority,” he said.

The pair focused on a deal — signed last month by the Gardaí and the PSNI — to pass knowledge in relation to the investigation of sexual offences and the monitoring of convicted offenders.