Lifelong restriction considered for Fife man

A rapist who spent almost three decades subjecting a number of females in Fife to a catalogue of violence and serious sexual assaults is facing a life sentence.

Kenneth Watt, 46, was found guilty at the High Court in Edinburgh of a number of offences of brutalising females over a 27-year period.

The court heard how he repeatedly raped a woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, on various occasions between February 1988 and November 1994 at locations in his home town.

Watt, who has several previous convictions for dishonesty, then started preying on a young girl, subjecting her to violent physical and sexual assaults between February 1990 and February 1997.

Between June 2004 and June 2007, Watt also repeatedly assaulted another woman, who also cannot be named for legal reasons. He also raped her in late 2005.

Watt then repeatedly battered another woman between July 2013 and December 2015.

Police then launched an investigation into Watt’s activities and collected enough evidence to arrest him.

Watt then assaulted a female DC at Kirkcaldy Police Office last June before refusing to provide his fingerprints and a DNA sample.

Yesterday judge Lord Brailsford called for a risk assessment report to see if the nature of Watts’ offending means the court should impose an order for lifelong restriction.

An OLR means that an offender is only released back into the community once the parole board is satisfied they no longer pose a risk.

The judge said he would deal with Watt at the High Court in Edinburgh on September 15.

In April this year jurors convicted Watt of rape, sexual assault and physical assault charges.

Kenneth Watt will be sentenced in September.