Raunds paedophile back behind bars over vile child abuse pictures

A sex offender once caught with a paedophile manual and beach pictures of topless children is back behind bars after he was arrested at his Raunds home over more offences.

Michael Watson, 23, was jailed for two years and four months in 2019 after downloading more than 2,500 sick files of child abuse when he lived in Rugby. They included more than 1,000 still images and 82 movies in category A, the worst category.

Warwick Crown Court heard he had been taking pictures on a beach of young girls without their tops on and he had a 'paedophile manual’ which contained advice or guidance on how to go about abusing children.

As well as his prison sentence he was put on the register for sex offenders for 10 years and given a sexual harm prevention order, restricting his use of devices and the internet.

When Watson was released from prison he moved to Raunds and, on August 3 this year, police carried out a routine sex offender visit at his house in Whitney Close.

But there officers found even more indecent images of children - including those in category A, B and C - and he was arrested again.

He then pleaded guilty to three charges of making indecent photographs of children when he appeared before magistrates in Northampton.

At a later court hearing he then pleaded guilty to two charges of breaching a sexual harm prevention order.

He had failed to inform police of a password for a device and failed to make a device available for examination on request.

Watson was remanded in custody and will be sentenced at Northampton Crown Court on September 13.

When he was jailed in 2019 a judge was told Watson was involved with the Sea Cadets, although his offences had no connection to his involvement with them.

His sexual harm prevention order includes a ban on him doing paid or voluntary work with children.