HIV rapist who sparked manhunt after going on the run walks free from court because of his ill health Alan Clune, 32, served four years for raping 18-year-old heterosexual man He was HIV positive and had Hepatitis B at the time of the attack He was required to tell police of address following release, but went on run If he breaches sex offenders order again he faces four years in jail Alan Clune, a convicted rapist with HIV, went on the run but has been spared jail A convicted rapist with HIV who sparked a nationwide manhunt after going on the run has been spared jail - because of his ill health. As a registered sex offender drifter Alan Clune, 32, was required to tell police where he lived after he was released from jail. He went on the run after moving out of a house in Lancashire he shared with his partner without telling police. Senior officers said he posed a risk to members of the public and he was at large for 10 days before being found 300 miles from home in London. It emerged Clune, a former Big Issue seller, had repeatedly ignored a sex offender order demanding he tell police of his home address. He had originally been jailed for four years for the rape an 18-year old heterosexual man whilst knowing he was HIV positive and had Hepatitis B. At Burnley Crown Court, Clune admitted breaching the notification requirements of the sex offenders' register but was given a two year suspended prison term after his lawyer told how his client was undergoing dialysis and had skin cancer. Passing sentence Judge Beverley Lunt said she was imposing a suspended sentence only because of Clune's health, but warned if he failed to comply with the order again, he would be locked up for a total of four years. Judge Lunt warned him: 'It's an absolute certainty. Start obeying the rules. The trouble with you is if you go off the rails, you go off spectacularly. Clune who became a drug addict at 13 learned he contracted HIV in July 2002. The following September he raped his 18 year old victim following a drinking session in Swansea. The teenager who had been visiting the Welsh city to see his girlfriend had to endure 'three months of terror' before doctors could tell him he had not contracted the disease. In December 2002 Clune was ordered to sign on the Sex Offender register for life but after his release from jail flouted the order three times in the space of two years. Alan Clune, convicted rapist who went on the run, walked free from Burnley Crown Court, because of his 'ill health' He was given a suspended jail term in December 2006 then in November 2007 was jailed for five months before being given a further three months in July 2008 for breaching the terms of the order. He disappeared again on May 11 last year after quitting his home in Haslingden, near Rossendale. The alarm was raised when police had gone to Clune's home in relation to a completely unrelated matter and found that he was no longer living there. Michael Scholes, prosecuting, said Clune registered at a Salvation Army drop-in centre in the West End of London on May 16, saying he was homeless and had been sleeping rough. On May 21, police turned up to arrest Clune but he slipped out of the door and ran off. He was detained in a nearby Apple store. Lawyers for Clune later said his actions were 'not a precursor' to any sexual offence. He said he would 'sofa surf' from time to time when he got into difficulties. In mitigation defence lawyer Bob Sastry said his client's disappearance was 'not necessarily premeditated.' He had been having difficulties with his then-partner and the relationship had broken down. The barrister continued: 'He must acknowledge, particularly when he was staying at the Salvation Army, there was no difficulty in telling police where he was. By that stage, he was worried about going to prison.