MARC WATTS ESCAPES JAIL IN ST ALBANS AFTER FLASHING INCIDENTS

In August 2008, Marc Watts, a man who gained notoriety after exposing himself to a teenage girl due to identification by his white socks, avoided imprisonment. Watts appeared at St Albans Crown Court for sentencing after admitting to charges of exposure and possessing seven indecent images.

The court was told that the 42-year-old repeatedly drove past a 15-year-old girl while she was walking along Canonsfield Road in Old Welwyn around 7 am last November, doing so four times. A few days later, Watts’s green Vauxhall Vectra attracted the girl’s attention again, when he blew her a kiss and was seen masturbating. The victim described Watts as being completely naked except for a pair of white socks.

Police were called, and a female officer spotted Watts’s car at the same location at 7 am on November 5. He was again found naked and was promptly arrested. During questioning, Watts explained he would undress after leaving his night shift at a warehouse in Biggleswade and would take a longer route home. He admitted he ‘could not stop himself’ from engaging in these behaviors.

A police examination of Watts’s home laptop revealed 68 indecent images of teenage girls. Most of these images were categorized at the lowest level of seriousness, but one image was rated at level two and another at level three.

Watts’s defense lawyer, Andrew Kerry, stated that Watts, of Marsom Grove, Luton, was seeking help for his behavior and would not appear before the courts again. He emphasized, “He has a very strong desire to address his problems.”

In sentencing, Judge Stephen Warner acknowledged the impact on the young girl, saying, “Clearly, you gained some sexual gratification from your behavior. You deliberately exposed yourself to her.” The judge decided against sending Watts to prison, believing that the public’s interests would be better served through treatment. Instead, Watts was sentenced to a three-year Community Order.

He was placed under supervision for three years, with a condition that he attend the Thames Valley Sex Offenders’ Programme. Additionally, Watts is banned from viewing pornography on the internet for five years, required to register as a sex offender for the same period, and ordered to pay costs of £500. His laptop was also confiscated and forfeited by the court.