A 47-year-old man who sparked a nationwide manhunt after going on the run from an open prison has been charged in connection with a serious sexual assault in Perth.
Police confirmed they had charged a man, understood to be Lee Cyrus and also known as Ivan Leach, in connection with the alleged attack.
The incident in October last year sparked a major police manhunt on Kinnoull Hill as officers searched for a man they wished to question in relation to the assault.
Items were also recovered from the River Tay at Perth as part of the same investigation.
Cyrus has also been charged in relation to an attack on a pensioner in her own home which is in the same general area as the alleged sexual assault. This incident predates the sexual assault.
Police Scotland declined to identify the man who has been charged, saying they would not comment on individual cases. It is known that officers from Tayside travelled to London at the end of last year to interview Cyrus.
“Police Scotland, Tayside Division can confirm that a 47-year-old man has been charged in connection with a number of offences in the Perth area in October 2012,” said a police spokesperson. “A report will be submitted to the procurator fiscal.”
As part of the investigations in the wake of the incidents the police appealed to the public for information on various items that were recovered in the locality and urged passengers on a bus to come forward.