COPS ADMITS WHEREABOUTS OF MANY ARE UNKNOWN

THIRTY Scots sex beasts have fled abroad this year, the News of the World can reveal.

Cops admit the whereabouts of many of the pervs - including paedophiles and rapists - are "unknown".

Yet all of them have been convicted of sex crimes here.

And last night the shocking figures were BLASTED by campaigning mum Margaret Ann Cummings, 33.

Speaking almost six years after her eight-year-old son Mark was murdered by evil Stuart Leggate, 34, she asked: "Why should 30 sex offenders, who committed crimes in Scotland be free to go where they please? They are dangerous and manipulative men.

"It is hard enough to track the monsters who live here, never mind when they have scattered abroad."

News of the sickos' exodus comes after it emerged last week that a killer paedophile was in Portugal in 2007 when three-year-old tot Madeleine McCann was snatched.

Twisted Charles O'Neil, 47, has refused to meet detectives working for Maddie's parents Kate and Gerry McCann.

The monster and his gay lover William Lauchlan, 33, were jailed for life earlier this month for murdering Allison McGarrigle, 39, in Largs, Ayrshire, to stop her exposing their abuse of a child.

Latest police figures show there are 3107 registered sex offenders living in Scotland.

But 30 of them are listed as "whereabouts unknown" or "living abroad". This means they have left the country without permission - or their application to move has been accepted by cops.

Last night a police insider told us: "If they have done things by the book, we can monitor them through passport control and local police.

"We try to do the same when offenders flee unlawfully - but it is difficult."

Strathclyde Police revealed eight convicted sex offenders are now abroad, while Tayside say six beasts are overseas while one is missing.

Central Scotland have six classified as "whereabouts unknown", while the figure for Lothian and Borders is three.

One Fife sex offender is out of the UK, three from Northern Constabulary and two from Dumfries and Galloway. But no offenders from Grampian have been reported to be abroad in the past three months.

But Margaret Ann, of Glasgow, added: "Police need more powers to help them keep tabs on offenders like Lauchlan - they should not be allowed out of our sight."

A spokesman for Scotland's police chiefs said: "Offenders who have left the country continue to be monitored."