Man involved in Arlesey headless body case has sentence cut
A MEMBER of a family who killed their ‘slave’ lodger after months of abuse and dismembered his body has had his jail term cut.
The headless body of Michael Gilbert, 26, was discovered in the Blue Lagoon, Arlesey, in May 2009 and Luton Crown Court heard how he had been treated like a slave and tortured before his eventual murder.
Richard Watt, 26, jailed for six years on a charge of familial homicide, had his sentence cut to four years at London’s Criminal Appeal Court last Friday.
His brother, James Watt, was jailed for life for murder and given a minimum term of 36 years.
The 28-year-old’s lover Natasha Oldfield, 30, and Nichola Roberts, 21, who was Richard Watt’s girlfriend, have to serve at least 18 and 15 years respectively.
Three judges at the Criminal Appeal Court rejected the sentence appeal of James Watt, Oldfield and Roberts.
The younger Watt had his sentence cut due to the help he offered the prosecution in bringing his family members to justice, and his guilty plea.
Most Read
- 1 BID releases official statement after cancelling Christmas lights switch-on
- 2 Tranmere Rovers against Stevenage off after Storm Arwen damage
- 3 Yellow warning for snow and wind in Herts as Storm Arwen sweeps in
- 4 Villagers left waiting over an hour in cold for Arriva buses demand better service
- 5 15 adorable rescue pets in Hertfordshire looking for loving new homes this Christmas
- 6 Hertfordshire zoo Paradise Wildlife Park to temporarily close to the public in January
- 7 Hitchin named as happiest place to live in the East of England
- 8 Driver assaulted in racially aggravated attack following car crash
- 9 Stevenage Christmas lights switch-on: All you need to know
- 10 How Hertfordshire’s coronavirus figures compare to last year's lockdown
Lord Justice Richards, while reducing Richard Watt’s sentence, said: “His assistance meant the remaining body parts were found.
“He also gave evidence against members of his family and his girlfriend in extremely difficult circumstances.”
James Watt’s appeal against his jail term was denied, with the judge calling the case a “grotesque story” in which he indulged in “depraved, exceptionally brutal and sadistic conduct”.
They all lived at a property in Marlborough Road, Luton, when the murder was committed.
