Crime
Doctor who fled to Bangkok Jailed for 5 Years for Child Porn
Chiangrai Times – Simon Paul Watson who fled to Thailand while on police bail for sex offenses is today starting a five-year jail sentence after police tracked him down.
Simon Paul Watson, who used to work at a Medical Centre, absconded in 2009 while being investigated by police for possession of indecent images of children.
He was finally traced to the sex tourist hotspot of Bangkok and brought back to face justice in the UK.
The 45-year-old pleaded guilty to 17 charges including child porn offenses, breaking police bail in 2009 and breaching Sex Offender Notification Regulations, when he appeared at Leeds Crown Court yesterday.
Watson had previously served two years behind bars from 2005 to 2007 for trading sickening images of child pornography on the internet.
In 2005 a court was told how the family doctor had become obsessed with depraved pictures of youngsters engaged in sex acts.
At that time he pleaded guilty to 11 offenses of distributing an indecent image of a child and a further 11 of possessing such images.
A patients’ helpline had to be issue for anyone worried about the situation.
When his home in Fairfax Street, Otley, was searched in April 2004, police found 604 indecent images attached to e-mails he had sent.
Yesterday Detective Inspector Chris Stones said: “It is down to the extensive inquiries and tireless work of our officers, as well as work with agencies both here in the UK and Thailand that we were able to locate Simon Watson.
“This led to the Thai authorities making the decision to deport him and allowed for the criminal process to be followed on his return to the UK.
“Watson’s action can only lead me to believe he poses a significant threat to children who will now be protected from him whilst he remains in custody.”
