POLICE have renewed an appeal for help in catching an Irish burglar who absconded from a mental health centre 15 months ago.
Peter Kerrigan, 28, was on escorted leave from the John Howard Centre in Hackney, London, when he threatened a member of staff and ran off.
Kerrigan, who is from the Irish travelling community, has been on the run since that day, March 29, 2015.
Crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers have said they will pay up to £1000 for information leading to the offender's arrest.
He was sentenced to six years in prison in January 2010 after a string of burglary offences, in which he targeted the elderly, vulnerable and disabled by impersonating a police officer before stealing from them in their homes.
Kerrigan commenced the spate of burglaries just weeks after being released early from an eight year sentence imposed in 2005, when he was just 17 years old.
Dubbed Britain's most prolific burglar by police at the time, the then-teenage Kerrigan admitted to committing over 1,400 break-ins.
The latest appeal has been launched after Kerrigan was featured on the BBC's Crimewatch Roadshow programme last Friday (June 10).
Detective Inspector Paul Ridley, from Hackney CID, who is leading the investigation, said: "It has now been 15 months since Kerrigan absconded after he was jailed for committing these despicable crimes. The oldest victim he targeted was a 92-year-old woman who was asleep in her bed. She was left terrified by the masked intruder.
"Another elderly female who was 89-years-old at the time of the offence, described how Kerrigan ransacked her bedroom and stole personal effects as she was powerless to stop him. She was deeply traumatised for a long time afterwards. It is imperative that he is found before he ruins other people’s lives.
"Anyone who knows of Kerrigan's whereabouts or may be harbouring him, I would urge them to think about the damage Kerrigan has done to his defenceless victims and ask them to contact police. Several of his victims have now died, unfortunately without seeing Kerrigan face the consequences of his actions."
"I can personally assure you that all information received will be treated in the strictest of confidence."
Kerrigan has links across the country, including in Maidstone, Sussex, Peterborough, Lincolnshire and Leicester. He is also known to visit various areas of London, including Hackney, Brent and Newham.
He also has family and friends in Ireland.
Police have asked that anyone who sees Kerrigan or knows anything about his whereabouts to call 999 immediately or, alternatively, to contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or on their website: www.crimestoppers-uk.org.
