A VIOLENT sex attacker, described as a threat to the public, went on the run for eight hours after walking out of a privately-run hospital in the Ribble Valley.

Anthony Roberts, 38, is being held at Kemple View low-security psychiatric hospital, Langho, after being sentenced to life for attempted murder.

He has also been convicted of gross indecency with a child, a sex attack on a female and an assault on a woman.

He is the second man described as a 'potential danger' to go missing from the hospital this year.

Today police and Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans called for an urgent safety review at the hospital.

Kemple View bosses said the patient went missing after being allowed an unescorted walk round the gardens -- and they were reviewing his treatment to see what lessons could be learned.

Roberts, from the Worcester area, walked out of the hospital at 2pm on Sunday.

He surrendered to police without a struggle at around 10pm after phoning his father from a phone box in Whalley New Road, Wilpshire.

Insp Bob Ford, of Clitheroe police, said: "Given his past record, he was clearly a potential threat to the public.

"We will speak to Kemple View about how this man was able to go missing. We will be asking for a review of security.

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Roberts was sentenced to life at Stafford Crown Court in 1991 for attempted murder, wounding and possessing an offensive weapon.

Between 1982 and 1985, he was also convicted of assault, indecent exposure, indecent assault and gross indecency with a child.

He has been at Kemple View for about 12 months. In January, patient ,John Hill, 32, convicted of making threats to kill, went missing for almost two weeks before being found in Aberdeen.

Nigel Evans MP said: "I will contact Kemple View and ask for an explanation as to how this man breached the security. I hope they wil now look at the use of unescorted leave. They cannot gamble with the safety of people in the area.

"The trust between Kemple View and the public will sadly now be damaged."

Coun Chris Holtom, who represents Wilpshire ward on Ribble Valley Council, said: "I think people will be concerned about how this can happen."

A spokeswoman for Kemple View said: "He left the grounds during his unescorted leave, which he had never abused before. This forms part of a routine clinical assessment and it was deemed appropriate for him at this time.

"The unit is surrounded by a three-metre high fence but the leave he was granted allowed him to go outside this area while remaining in the grounds.

"Any time there is an incident, a review forms part of an ongoing process to ensure we provide the best quality care for patients and to determine any lessons for the hospital or staff.

"As a result of the absconsion, we are reviewing the care and treatment of the patient in question to determine what lessons can be learnt.

"Since his admission, this patient has benefited from a large number of episodes of unescorted leave in the grounds."