ANTHONY WILLIS CHICHESTER SEX OFFENDER CAUGHT ON VIDEO BY MOTHER IN EAST SUSSEX PARK

In a case that has drawn significant attention, Anthony Willis, a known sex offender from Chichester, was ultimately confirmed to have died following his arrest in July 2001. The incident began when a mother, whose identity she chose to keep private, took extraordinary measures to protect her 11-year-old daughter, Colleen, after a disturbing encounter in a local park.

According to her account, Colleen and a friend had approached her after they were approached by a man in the park, who had made an obscene suggestion to the young girls. Recognizing the potential danger, the mother immediately contacted the police. However, understanding that law enforcement might take some time to arrive, she decided to take matters into her own hands. She retrieved her family’s video camera and drove to the scene, where she found the man still present.

In a quick-thinking move, she instructed the girls to hide and, under the guise of a tourist filming the historic Chichester Cathedral in West Sussex, she began recording the man from a distance. She positioned herself discreetly, zooming in on his face as he sat on a bench near a playground where children were playing. Her footage proved crucial in the subsequent legal proceedings.

The video was presented to a jury at Lewes Crown Court in East Sussex. During the trial, Willis, aged 58 and a divorced father of two, denied the charge of indecency with a child. As the footage played, Mrs. O’Donaghue, the witness, whispered, “Got you, you creep,” as she focused on Willis’s face. The jury found Willis guilty of the charges, and he was sentenced to nine months in prison.

It was revealed during the trial that Willis had offered the girls £50 if they would spank him. When one of the girls questioned his motives, Willis, a former psychiatric nurse, responded bluntly, “Because I want it.”

Following his conviction, police arrested Willis, who initially claimed he was a victim of mistaken identity. However, the evidence against him was overwhelming. Judge Richard Brown, presiding over the case, ordered Willis to be placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register. The judge emphasized the gravity of such offenses, stating, “For a young child, any approach by an adult inviting them to commit an act of indecency must be a very frightening experience.”

The woman who recorded the incident, a sign language teacher, chose to waive her right to anonymity to speak publicly about her actions. She expressed her frustration with the underreporting of such offenses, saying, “Too many people allow offences to go unreported, but when Colleen told me what happened there was no way I was going to let him get away with it.”

She recounted how she advised the girls to change their clothes and hide their hair inside baseball caps to avoid recognition. When they arrived at the park, both girls immediately identified Willis, exclaiming, “That’s him.” She admitted that she felt a surge of anger but recognized that confronting him physically was not the appropriate course of action. Her quick response and the subsequent legal proceedings played a crucial role in bringing Willis to justice, even as he later died, ending his threat to the community.