A North Wales man who sparked a 10-day high risk missing person’s hunt after leaving a suicide note at his home has been convicted of wasting police time.
Defendant Dean Peter Rutter, a 40-year-old single man, had been due to return to Wrexhampolice station as a result of an ongoing investigation into allegations by children of a sexual nature against him.
But when he did not turn up, police went to his home in Tower View, Acrefair near Wrexham, and found tablets on a table and a note which said he had taken an overdose and gone to hang himself.
Prosecutor Mairead Neeson told a special New Year’s Day sitting of Flintshire magistrates’ court at Mold today (January 1) a considerable amount of police time had been wasted between December 21 and December 31 as police officers tried to find Rutter.
He was eventually traced via his mobile phone signal to Tenby, south Wales, where he had been living in a hotel.
Wasting police time
Rutter appeared from custody and admitted wasting police time. He received a three month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, with £85 costs and a £80 surcharge.
The court heard police had been investigating allegations against Rutter. A file had been submitted to the CPS and no decision had been made on whether he should be charged.
But when he failed to turn up at the police station on December 18, officers became concerned, went to his home on December 21, and the suicide note was found with a large amount of medication.
In the note, Rutter wrote: “To whoever reads this note, I am truly sorry it was you. The end has come for me. I cannot cope with it anymore.”
He wrote that he had taken all the pills on the table, wine, and as a type two diabetic had taken sugar and cough syrup.
“I have given up caring anymore because it hurts so much. Goodbye for ever.”
Hunt to find him
Rutter was regarded as a high risk missing person and numerous enquiries were made with known associates and physical searches were carried out.
CCTV systems were checked and officers liaised with other forces. “This tied up a considerable amount of police resources,” Miss Neeson explained.
Investigations showed he had withdrawn cash, had bought a new mobile phone, and police were able to trace the phone to the Tenby area, where he was arrested on New Year’s Eve.
Interviewed, he told how he decided to kill himself on December 17. When he left the note it was genuine. But after walking for half an hour he was violently sick.
Rutter said he did not feel any ill-effects, took a train to Chester and then London – but decided to return to Wales. The only train was to Cardiff where he stayed for one night and then got a train to Tenby.
Allegations denied
Elspeth Kenney, defending, said her client vehemently denied the sexual allegations, he had not been charged.
He was a single man who lived alone and when he wrote the suicide note he genuinely wanted to end his life. “He could not cope with the stress, angst and pressure of the police investigation,” she explained.
When he was arrested, he explained he no longer felt suicidal but accepted he should have informed the police or his next of kin he was safe and well.
Magistrate Ian Bellingham told him he had wasted police time when they were already busy and he himself was on bail.
Police had to adopt sophisticated methods to find him and it was clear a large amount of police resources had been absorbed over a prolonged period.
see-http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/child-sex-probe-man-who-10674134
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