The paedophile in a playground
Sex attacker coaxes his way into the life of family to snare another victim
LArKING about on a slide and swing, this man – in the company of a mother and her little girl – appears to be enjoying an innocent family day out.
In fact, he is a convicted paedophile and the messing around is all part of his sickening ritual in trying to ensnare another child victim.
At the time these pictures were taken, the mother had no idea of hospital DJ Matt richards’ predatory past.
He had changed his name from Andrew Watt to bury the fact he had been jailed for abusing a young girl.
As Watt, he had been banned from having contact with children, yet that didn’t stop him targeting the mother online.
He spent almost a year building a friendship with her and she came to rely on him to babysit. Over a period of months, he conned her into letting him look after her child 30 times. She even recommended the 46-yearold to a second family.
But when she learnt he’d once had a different name, she started digging and traced news articles which revealed his paedophile conviction.
She discovered that in 2004, richards – then Watt – was jailed for five- and- a- half years for abducting a 15-year-old girl and sexually abusing her. Now he is back in prison for another 33 months after admitting breach- ing notification requirements from his previous sentence.
The mother, speaking anonymously about her ordeal, said: ‘It’s sickening to think he would do so much, for so long – nearly a year – to get to a child. That’s some kind of obsession, it’s really scary.’
The photos show richards, of Waterlooville, Hampshire, on one of several outings with the family. He built a friendship with the mother after she sold items to him on Facebook. She is now finding it hard to trust people because she believes richards groomed her into letting him look after her child without arousing any suspicion.
Judge Ian Pearson described richards as ‘devious’ and ‘manipulative’ as he jailed him again.
He also told the court richards’ purpose for striking up the relationship was with a view to behaving in a sexual manner with children. As part of a fresh Sexual Harm Prevention Order, richards is banned from having contact with children, from living in a house with children and has his internet use restricted for life.
richards’ previous conviction for indecently assaulting a teenager occurred when he was working as a DJ at Haslar Hospital in Gosport, Hampshire – a job which made him ‘attractive’ and ‘cool’ to his 15-year-old victim.
He struck up a friendship with the girl over an internet chatroom and met her behind a supermarket after she sneaked out of her parents’ home.
After several meet-ups, richards had to call an ambulance
‘That’s a scary obsession’
when she suffered a fit in a car park and paramedics were concerned she was in her pyjamas.
Police searched his home and found hundreds of indecent images of children, which landed him in court.
He admitted back then two charges of abduction, having unlawful sexual intercourse, gross indecency with a child and indecent assault, as well as 14 charges of making indecent images.
The NSPcc said offenders do target families and build relationships with parents to access children. A spokesman said: ‘We know that child sex offenders can be extremely devious, manipulative and sophisticated in the way they target victims.’