Sex offender 'contacted police'

Neal Daniel Lynch may be in the north west of Northern Ireland

The convicted sex offender at the centre of a manhunt has claimed he contacted police on Wednesday night but was told to ring back today.

Neal Daniel Lynch, 29, was being sought by police after he failed to notify them about his whereabouts.

The public was warned not to approach the "high-risk" offender, believed to be in the north-west area.

Police say they have no record of Lynch making contact with them, and repeated their plea for him to hand himself in.

Lynch, who was convicted of sex offences in the Irish Republic, said he rang police on Wednesday night but was told no-one was available to deal with him.

Police previously appealed to Lynch, who is originally from Donegal, to hand himself in at the nearest PSNI station.

He is described as being 5 foot, 10 inches tall, with dark, shaven hair and a broken nose.

The police believe he may be driving a red Toyota Celica car, registration G411 FSJ.

Police said the public should not approach him, but are asked to contact the PSNI on 0845 600 8000 if they believe they know his whereabouts.