Man travels 130 miles from Isle of Wight to meet 16-year-old.
An Isle of Wight sex offender avoided an immediate prison sentence after police discovered he had travelled 130 miles to Milton Keynes to stay with a 16-year-old girl.
Jamie-Lee Watts, of Sandown, IOW, had previously admitted to failing to comply with the notification requirements of the Sex Offender’s Register and breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), according to Isle of Wight County Press.
The prosecution said that between July and August this year, Watts, 21, travelled to Milton Keynes to stay with the girl. They said Watts failed to notify police, despite the Sex Offender’s Register stating that he must inform officers if he intends to stay at an address for more than 12 hours where someone under 18 resides.
The court heard the girl’s parents were aware that Watts was staying overnight for two days, but no one at the address was aware of his previous child sex offences.
During the police investigation, officers learned that Watts had given the teenager a phone number linked to an unregistered mobile, and that they had communicated over WhatsApp and Instagram.
Watts initially denied meeting the girl. He was made subject to a five-year SHPO in November 2024, following a conviction for sexual activity with a child under 16 – an order that remains active until November 2029.
Watts must complete 80 hours of unpaid work and 10 rehabilitation days as part of the order. He remains subject to both the Sex Offender’s Register and the Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
