A Plymouth man has been jailed after pleading guilty to 26 sexual offence charges including six counts of rape. Simon Watts, 58, will serve a total of 16 years and four months behind bars for the non-recent offences against two girls.
Watts had been charged with six counts of rape, 15 counts of indecent assault, three of sexual assault and two charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. Two victims were involved in a period between 1993 and 2010.
Prosecutor Heather Hope told the court the details of the case and how the two victims - both of whom cannot be identified for legal reasons - suffered from the repeated abuse by Watts. The court was told that Watts even secretively filmed and photographed one of his victims, keeping the images and footage for years until he was caught by police.
Ms Hope revealed how Watts had instigated each of the incidents purely to "sate his sexual appetite" and left his victims feeling "physically sick". Investigators found search terms like "voyeur" and "pre-teen" on his computer devices and in his loft a wireless camera, photo printer and a noose.
One of the victims told police Watts had repeatedly threatened that if she ever told anyone about the abuse, he would kill her and all her family and hide the bodies in tunnels under Dartmoor. After some of his abuse was finally revealed he made a number of attempts to kill himself.
Both women read out their victim impact statements in court, fighting back tears as they recounted the abuse which continued for many years, both not knowing of the other's suffering. One said that Watts took away her "confidence, personality and independence" and since making her complaint to police had seen her having panic attacks. She explained that when she learned he had been given bail by the courts she was "terrified" he would come after her and kill her.
She said she also endured "prolonged suffering" during the 14 months before the sentencing hearing, which was repeatedly delayed due to Watts' suicide attempts, changing his legal team and failing to turn up to hearings. She said he would "never be forgiven" by her and that he had cause her "life-long trauma".
In mitigation, his advocate Deni Matthews said his client had received treatment for depression in 1994 and the psychiatric report prepared for the judge suggested Watts may have Autistic Spectrum Disorder. He said Watts had suffered at the hands of his step-father and had been bullied while in the merchant navy.
Judge David Evans said it was "clear" to him that Watts knew his behaviour was "shameful and wholly wrong". Along with the total sentence of 16 years and four months he said he would pass a restraining order which banned him from approaching or contacting the two women or from entering a number of named streets in Plymouth.
Detective Sergeant Chris Kinski, from the investigation team, said: “We would like to commend the bravery and the strength of the victims in this case for coming forward and reporting these offences to us.
“We understand the enormity of coming to the police and disclosing these types of offences and the fear of not being believed.
“There is also the fear with non-recent cases of sexual abuse that the police can’t do much, but this shows that if you come to us and report any cases of sexual abuse, recent or not, we will investigate these crimes and we are wholeheartedly committed to bringing offenders to justice and supporting survivors of sexual abuse.
“We have no doubt these offences committed against the victims will be with them forever and we now hope that the sentence given out today can help provide some sense of closure and the victims can move on with the same courage and determination they have shown throughout this process.”
He added: “I would like to say a thank you to all the officers involved in the investigation, especially the two in charge of the case, whose dedication to the investigation and support of the victims has ensured justice has been done today.
“This could not have been achieved without the Crown Prosecution Service and the close working relationship we have with them, which has ensured we were able to present the evidence effectively and ensure a just sentence has been passed on behalf of the victims.
“We would urge anyone suffering in silence to come forward. As this case shows, you will be believed and supported and together we will hold offenders to account for their crimes.”
If you’ve been affected by anything in this news article, support is available.
- National Rape Crisis Helpline: 0808 802 9999
- Devon and Cornwall Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARC): 0300 3034626
- Devon, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Independent Sexual Advisor Service: 03458 121212
- Victim Care Unit: 01392 475900
- Devon Rape Crisis and Sexual Abuse Services: 01392 204 174
In an emergency, always call 999 and in a non-emergency please visit here.
