BRAIN WATTS CAGED IN CALDICOT: TOP JUDGE REJECTS JAIL FOR PENSIONER WHO ABUSED LITTLE GIRLS OVER DECADES
| Red Rose Database
Caldicot Child Sexual Abuser
In a case that has spanned several decades and shocked the community of Caldicot, Brian Watts, a 72-year-old pensioner from Sudbrook, was at the center of a controversial legal decision regarding his past crimes. Watts was found guilty of abusing multiple young girls during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, with additional offenses committed at the beginning of the 1990s, as detailed during proceedings at London's Criminal Appeal Court.
Despite the severity and duration of his offenses, Watts’s case took a turn when he chose to come forward voluntarily. After his last known offense in the early 1990s, Watts confided in his general practitioner, revealing his crimes and seeking medical assistance. This act of honesty led to hospital treatment, and remarkably, Watts has not reoffended in the subsequent 16 years.
Many years after the incidents, law enforcement authorities became aware of Watts’s past through his confessions. Following a thorough investigation, Watts was brought before Newport Crown Court, where he pleaded guilty to numerous counts of indecent assault. On October 21 of the previous year, he was sentenced to a community order, a decision that drew criticism from the nation’s top legal official, the Attorney General, Baroness Scotland. She deemed the sentence “unduly lenient” and referred the case to the Criminal Appeal Court for review.
Yesterday, the appeal was heard before a panel comprising Lord Chief Justice Lord Judge, along with Mr Justice Pitchford and Mr Justice Roderick Evans. The court ultimately decided not to impose a custodial sentence, citing the circumstances of Watts’s case and his conduct since the offenses. Lord Judge emphasized that Watts had not reoffended since 1992 and that there was no current indication that he posed a threat to children.
He acknowledged the gravity of Watts’s past actions but highlighted that the original sentence was imposed by an experienced judge who carefully considered all aspects, including Watts’s admissions, his seeking medical help, and the long period of good behavior since his last offense. The court noted that Watts’s age and health were also relevant factors, and that a non-custodial sentence was within the judge’s discretion.
Lord Judge further remarked that if the sentence was to be viewed as merciful, it was a form of justice in itself, stating, “mercy should seize on justice,” a principle rooted both in law and literature. The court’s decision to uphold the original sentence was thus confirmed, and Watts was not to be jailed, a ruling that has sparked considerable debate within the community of Caldicot and beyond.
Despite the severity and duration of his offenses, Watts’s case took a turn when he chose to come forward voluntarily. After his last known offense in the early 1990s, Watts confided in his general practitioner, revealing his crimes and seeking medical assistance. This act of honesty led to hospital treatment, and remarkably, Watts has not reoffended in the subsequent 16 years.
Many years after the incidents, law enforcement authorities became aware of Watts’s past through his confessions. Following a thorough investigation, Watts was brought before Newport Crown Court, where he pleaded guilty to numerous counts of indecent assault. On October 21 of the previous year, he was sentenced to a community order, a decision that drew criticism from the nation’s top legal official, the Attorney General, Baroness Scotland. She deemed the sentence “unduly lenient” and referred the case to the Criminal Appeal Court for review.
Yesterday, the appeal was heard before a panel comprising Lord Chief Justice Lord Judge, along with Mr Justice Pitchford and Mr Justice Roderick Evans. The court ultimately decided not to impose a custodial sentence, citing the circumstances of Watts’s case and his conduct since the offenses. Lord Judge emphasized that Watts had not reoffended since 1992 and that there was no current indication that he posed a threat to children.
He acknowledged the gravity of Watts’s past actions but highlighted that the original sentence was imposed by an experienced judge who carefully considered all aspects, including Watts’s admissions, his seeking medical help, and the long period of good behavior since his last offense. The court noted that Watts’s age and health were also relevant factors, and that a non-custodial sentence was within the judge’s discretion.
Lord Judge further remarked that if the sentence was to be viewed as merciful, it was a form of justice in itself, stating, “mercy should seize on justice,” a principle rooted both in law and literature. The court’s decision to uphold the original sentence was thus confirmed, and Watts was not to be jailed, a ruling that has sparked considerable debate within the community of Caldicot and beyond.