RUNCORN PAEDOPHILE ROY WATKINSON ESCAPES JAIL DESPITE HORRIFIC CHILD ABUSE IMAGES

In a case that has shocked the local community of Runcorn, Roy Watkinson, a 47-year-old man, was found guilty of possessing extremely disturbing and illegal images depicting the sexual abuse of children and babies. Despite the severity of the material, Watkinson was sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for two years, during a hearing at Chester Crown Court.

Watkinson’s arrest took place on September 5, 2018, at his residence on Rosemary Avenue in Runcorn. Authorities seized multiple digital devices from his home, including a hard drive, a USB stick, a Dell laptop, and a Mac computer. The investigation revealed that the devices contained a variety of indecent images, some classified as Category A, which is considered the most severe and disturbing classification of such material.

Prosecutor Paulinus Barnes explained that the images involved victims as young as 18 months old, subjected to various forms of sexual abuse, including rape and torture. The court was told that the content was “truly stomach-churning,” with Mr. Barnes emphasizing that the images depicted “almost every type” of abuse imaginable. The details of the content were described by Judge Steven Everett, Recorder of Chester, as “completely disgusting,” “really shocking,” and “sickening.”

During police interviews, Watkinson initially claimed that he was searching for material involving “mother and daughter” pornography featuring adults. However, when investigators presented evidence of the explicit content found on his devices, he refused to comment further, offering only “no comment” responses. The court did not delve into the specifics of the Category A images but acknowledged their horrific nature.

The case faced a significant delay of approximately two and a half years before reaching sentencing, primarily due to police resources being overwhelmed and prioritizing investigations involving suspects with direct links to children. Judge Everett expressed his disapproval of this delay, calling it “completely unacceptable,” and stated he would raise the issue with Cheshire’s new chief crown prosecutor, police, and crime commissioner, and chief constable during upcoming meetings.

At the hearing, Watkinson appeared in the dock dressed in a pinstripe suit and brought a bag of personal belongings. He had no previous criminal convictions. The court agreed to impose a standard Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) to replace the one initially proposed by police, aiming to prevent future offenses.

In his sentencing remarks, Judge Everett described the content of the images as involving “truly awful sexual abuse.” Considering the circumstances, the delay in prosecution, and the guidelines for sentencing, he handed Watkinson an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for two years. Additionally, Watkinson was ordered to complete 35 days of rehabilitation activities and pay £250 towards prosecution costs. The case has left many in Runcorn appalled at the leniency of the sentence given the nature of the crimes committed.