A SEX offender from Bolton has gone missing — but police are refusing to disclose their identity or gender.

The convicted sex criminal may have left the town or still be hiding in Bolton.

Police initially refused to confirm how many of 23 missing sex offenders from Greater Manchester were from Bolton — citing the risk of identifying individuals.

Requests under Freedom Of Information laws were refused, but police later disclosed that one offender from the town was missing after The Bolton News appealed on grounds of public interest.

A police spokesman said routinely naming sex offenders could endanger them or lead to the identification of victims.

He added: "If individual registered sex offenders are believed to present an imminent risk, then they can be named in the media."

Julie Hilling, MP for Bolton West, said the police were offering protection to offenders who have "broken the rules".

Ms Hilling said: "These are people who are not fulfilling their legal duty but their human rights mean information cannot be released.

"It is no wonder they have disappeared and cannot be found."

Tony Lloyd, Greater Manchester's police and crime commissioner, said human rights legislation was never intended to protect registered sex offenders, and he had spoken to Greater Manchester Police (GMP) to ensure everything was being done to locate the missing offenders.

He said: " Where necessary and appropriate, police should enlist the help of the public.

"Human rights legislation was never intended to protect registered sex offenders who choose to go off the grid and it should never be the determining factor when police consider if they should release an offender’s details.

"The police must retain the option to name people who may represent a danger to the public.”

Detective Superintendent Jon Chadwick said there were 2,700 registered sex offenders in Greater Manchester, with more than 600 subject to Sexual Offences Prevention Orders.

He said: "A large proportion of the recorded missing/wanted sex offenders are either known or believed to be living abroad or have returned to their country of origin.

"Of the 23 registered sex offenders registered in GMP whose whereabouts are currently unknown, 11 are strongly believed to be abroad and checks are in place should they return to the UK.

"The remaining 12 are subject to periodic reviews and enquiries in order to trace them and all are circulated as wanted."

Before the U-turn on revealing the number of offenders from Bolton, police had justified withholding the information because it was "personal" and would increase the risk of identification.