Sex Offender Ian Willett Jailed Again for Fleeing Approved Address
Ian Willett, 23, is back behind bars after breaching his licence conditions. Last year, Willett was locked up for 40 months for sexual assault, assault by beating, and kidnapping. The shocking attack happened on August 23, 2020, when he assaulted a woman at Newport bus station, Isle of Wight, before dragging her to Church Litten Park. The victim bravely fought back and escaped.
Willett Flees Approved Residence and Breaks Notification Rules
After his release, Willett was required to stay at an approved address in Waterlooville and follow strict sex offender notification rules. These included informing police within three days of any address changes, registering online usernames, and staying put. But Willett vanished from his approved premises on June 5 this year.
Police soon discovered he’d created unregistered online usernames. A hunt began, and on June 15, police appealed to the public for help locating the fugitive.
Fast Arrest Thanks to Public Tip-Off
Thanks to swift community support, Willett was caught the same day back on the Isle of Wight. The next morning, he was charged with two counts of failing to comply with sex offender notification requirements and recalled to prison to finish his original sentence.
At Isle of Wight Magistrates’ Court, Willett admitted violating notification rules. He got slapped with an extra 8 months behind bars and fined £85 in costs plus a £128 victim surcharge.
Police Praise Community’s Role, Warn Others
“We are very grateful to the local community who supported our efforts to locate Willett after he absconded,” said Acting Detective Inspector Mark Edis. “We arrested him within hours thanks to community information.”
“Licence conditions and notification requirements protect the public by stopping offenders from reoffending. Willett showed complete disregard for this.”
“We take managing sex offenders and public safety extremely seriously and hope the swift action reassures the community. We’ll keep doing everything possible to send those who reoffend back to prison.”
