British woman faces jail for posing as a boy to lure girls into sex

 

Gemma Watts, a British woman who pledged guilty for posing as a teenage boy to sexually groom young girls, is pictured in this handout photo obtained January 9, 2020. Metropolitan Police/Handout via REUTERS

 

WINCHESTER, England (Reuters) - A young British woman who posed as a teenage boy to deceive potentially dozens of young girls into having sexual contact with her will be sentenced on Friday and may face a jail term.

 

Gemma Watts, 21, created an online persona as Jake Waton, a 16-year-old boy, and used social media to strike up relationships with girls as young as 14. Police described her male alter ego as very believable.

 

Watts pleaded guilty in November to seven charges relating to four victims aged 14 and 15, although police believe she was a prolific predator and that there are likely to be many other unidentified victims.

 

The charges included sexual assault and meeting a child following sexual grooming. Watts, who is on bail, is due to be sentenced at Winchester Crown Court in southern England.

 

She would start her grooming by liking girls' profiles on Snapchat or Instagram, then sending them complimentary messages. Soon she would be calling them "Babe" or other pet names.

 

Her own profile as Jake Waton featured posts about skateboarding and photographs of herself, dressed in baggy sportswear, with her long hair tied up in a bun and hidden under a cap or hood.

 

Having persuaded her victims to meet her, Watts travelled by train to their homes in various parts of England. The girls believed they were in genuine relationships with a teenage boy. In several cases, there were multiple encounters over a period of months.

 

She met the parents of some of her victims and had conversations with them. They too were taken in.

 

Phillipa Kenwright, one of the detectives involved in the case, said the victims were unaware they had been deceived until they were contacted by police, and it had been devastating for them to learn the truth.

 

"It's been life-changing for all of the victims involved," Kenwright told reporters in a briefing ahead of sentencing. "For some of these girls it's one of their first relationships."

 

The case has not previously been made public, and Kenwright said she expected that once the details were in the media, more victims would come forward. She said her personal estimate was that there might be between 20 and 50 unidentified victims.

 

Watts, who left school at 16 and lives with her mother in north London, first came to the attention of the police in April 2018. Despite knowing she was under investigation, she continued her activities as Jake for many more months.

 

Kenwright said Watts had expressed no remorse and given no explanation for her actions.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-01-10

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The mind boggles. Did these girls who were having sex with Gemma not realize that Gemma did not possess a penis? How could they not notice?

Lets hope the sentance will be as per a bloke.

Same as ladyboys luring men into thinking they are having sex with a woman

Life changing ? Really ? 
 

Doesn’t say anywhere sex was involved 

55 minutes ago, ChipButty said:

Same as ladyboys luring men into thinking they are having sex with a woman

 

Except that she's an adult, and her targets were children. Even ladyboys have higher standards.

Edited January 10, 20206 yr by techietraveller84
Neglected to quote.

2 hours ago, Bruntoid said:

Life changing ? Really ? 
 

Doesn’t say anywhere sex was involved 

What exactly do you understand sexual assault to mean?

 

3 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The charges included sexual assault

 

There have been a few of these stories in the news in recent years in the UK. The same modus operandi where the perpetrator initially grooms and seduces the girls onlne before meeting them in person.

5 hours ago, Bluespunk said:

What exactly do you understand sexual assault to mean?

 

 

Sexual assault has many forms, it doesn't have to be physical, it can be verbal for instance.

 

It is certainly not exclusively "going all the way" with someone. Given that none of the

victims knew that she was a female suggests that she kept her clothes on.

 

If I befriended someone, male or female and without consent gave their bottom a

squeeze, even if we were both fully clothed, that could be construed as sexual assault.

Edited January 10, 20206 yr by shy coconut

Verbal assault?

Good Lord!

 

Gives a totally new meaning to 'hide the sausage'....

12 hours ago, Bruntoid said:

Life changing ? Really ? 
 

Doesn’t say anywhere sex was involved 

 

10 hours ago, Bluespunk said:

What exactly do you understand sexual assault to mean?

 

 

 

4 hours ago, shy coconut said:

Sexual assault has many forms, it doesn't have to be physical, it can be verbal for instance.

 

It is certainly not exclusively "going all the way" with someone. Given that none of the

victims knew that she was a female suggests that she kept her clothes on.

 

If I befriended someone, male or female and without consent gave their bottom a

squeeze, even if we were both fully clothed, that could be construed as sexual assault.

There’s a fuller report in the Guardian. 
 

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/jan/10/woman-gemma-watts-posed-boy-sexually-assault-girls-police

 

And here is the report in the Daily Mail:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7872547/Woman-21-posed-16-year-old-boy-sexually-assault-50-girls.html
 

One of the charges admitted was penetration. Maybe that was with a finger or a toy.

 

The victims are children aged 13 and 14 years old. They were also vulnerable; they had already suffered abuse and bullying and had low self esteem. They thought that they were in a relationship with a teenage boy who cared about them. When they discovered it was an adult woman, of course they would feel confused and that it was a “life changing event”.

 

Gemma Watts is 21 years old, and has no previous convictions, and yet she was jailed for 8 years and the judge made her “subject to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and told her she would be on the sex offenders' register for life as well as being barred from working from any children or vulnerable people.“ 

 

This sentence is a reflection of the seriousness of the offences and the age and vulnerability of the victims.

 

Remember these are 13 and 14 year old children!

 

 

Edited January 11, 20206 yr by silver sea

5 hours ago, shy coconut said:

Sexual assault has many forms, it doesn't have to be physical, it can be verbal for instance.

 

It is certainly not exclusively "going all the way" with someone. Given that none of the

victims knew that she was a female suggests that she kept her clothes on.

 

If I befriended someone, male or female and without consent gave their bottom a

squeeze, even if we were both fully clothed, that could be construed as sexual assault.

That would be because it is. No consent equals assault. 
 

All sexual assaults should be viewed as serious offences and punished for the affect on those assaulted. 

Edited January 11, 20206 yr by Bluespunk

Has anyone actually seen this person with their pants down?

Wouldn't it be a hoot if it really is a boy!

 

 

4 minutes ago, bendejo said:

Has anyone actually seen this person with their pants down?

Wouldn't it be a hoot if it really is a boy!

 

 

Not really, no. 

14 hours ago, TopDeadSenter said:

The mind boggles. Did these girls who were having sex with Gemma not realize that Gemma did not possess a penis? How could they not notice?

I must have missed it. But I read carefully. Where does it say they were "having sex with Gemma"?

I do not want her in prison telling other dykes how to do online. 

22 hours ago, techietraveller84 said:

 

Except that she's an adult, and her targets were children. Even ladyboys have higher standards.

Yeah right

6 minutes ago, car720 said:

I would have agreed with you a few years ago but these days sexual assault can mean picking your girlfriends nose.

No it doesn’t. 

16 hours ago, TopDeadSenter said:

Did these girls who were having sex with Gemma not realize that Gemma did not possess a penis? How could they not notice?

Been in any Pattaya/Nana plaza bars lately?

17 hours ago, TopDeadSenter said:

The mind boggles. Did these girls who were having sex with Gemma not realize that Gemma did not possess a penis? How could they not notice?

They did not have sex with her.  They engaged in sexual experimental things like most young people do, and, which most of the parents must have thought were going on, and apparently were happy about if she had been a him.   Seems kind of anti lesbian?  

 

The problem was the deception and lies and her being an adult (although not many years older then her victims). 

16 hours ago, ChipButty said:

Same as ladyboys luring men into thinking they are having sex with a woman

Not really.  Men are adults not underage boys!  But, if a man is truly deceived then, yes, it is obviously wrong and not funny and basically sexual assault. 

20 minutes ago, car720 said:

I would have agreed with you a few years ago but these days sexual assault can mean picking your girlfriends nose.

Or wink at someone you like it seems...  If they fancy you they will be very happy about it, if not your are sexually assaulting them?  If you want to let someone you like know you like them I think its better to write them a formal letter explaining your feelings and a legally draw up summary of sexual things they will allow you to do, requiring both signatures, and a witness.  Remember, all those bar girls shouting out to you 'handsome man' are sexually assaulting you!  Hope you can get them all arrested and locked up.  

 

 

 

 

 

18 hours ago, ChipButty said:

Same as ladyboys luring men into thinking they are having sex with a woman

What planet are you from?

 

Luring men into have sex is much different than a predator deceiving children into performing sex.

 

 

19 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

She met the parents of some of her victims and had conversations with them. They too were taken in.

As disturbing as the story itself !!

1 hour ago, car720 said:

Thank God that I am too old to even be able to spell the word sex anymore.  I think I would be flattered if some bird said that I was sexually assaulting her right now.

Just image approaching a lady in a bar or café and starting up a polite conversation, complementing her and asking if she would like to go out on a date with you….. the next thing the police are around arresting you for sexual assault LOL.

On 1/10/2020 at 7:08 PM, evadgib said:

Lets hope the sentance will be as per a bloke.

Unfortunately this did not happen, about as much transparency as the family law court in Australia/NZ/England . Severely weighted towards women – what the <deleted>. Paedophilia is paedophilia????????‍♂️????????

On 1/10/2020 at 6:59 PM, TopDeadSenter said:

The mind boggles. Did these girls who were having sex with Gemma not realize that Gemma did not possess a penis? How could they not notice?

They probably noticed the lack of dick at some point. 

 

Quite like people notice that you have been the first poster to most of the 'news' on this site. Go figure!