Man jailed for causing a child nearly a decade of abuse
George Watt carried out his campaign of violence between 1987 and 1996 on Glasgow's southside
A man who put a child through an almost decade of physical and mental abuse as a child was jailed today for 15 months.
George Watt has now been brought to justice after his victim - an ex-soldier - bravely spoke about his ordeal.
The 65 year-old was convicted of assault and neglect following a trial this week at Glasgow Sheriff Court.
The offences occurred between January 1987 and January 1996 at addresses in the city's southside.
Watt is already behind bars having been jailed for five years in early 2024 for a gun offence.
The pensioner had kept the revolver in a bag in a wardrobe at his home. He claimed to have found the "daft old thing" under floorboards.
Sheriff Gerard Bonnar ordered that Watt’s latest sentence run consecutively to his current jail term.
The sheriff said: “These are significant offences in respect of conduct over a number of years.
“The court heard from the man about the impact of your behaviour which was significant for the larger picture.
“The behaviour towards your female victim was also persistant and utterly unacceptable.
“The court’s options are limited and the custodial threshold has been passed.
“There has been no acceptance of remorse on your part and although you have a short record of previous convictions, there is one very serious non-analogous conviction.
“A concurrent sentence is not appropriate.”
The trial heard how Watt would often supposedly look after the boy as well as a girl at times.
In his closing speech to jurors, fiscal Ryan Watson said the boy would be tired "especially when subjected to the rigours of Countdown."
He added: "The boy would fall asleep but Watt did not allow him and would shout at him to wake him up.
"The boy would try to stay awake. The girl would squeeze his hand to stop him falling asleep but he would drift off.
"Watt would see this and throw little brass ornaments off the boy's shins - little to us now but not to a then four-year-old child.
"He told you that, to this day, he cannot watch that programme.
"It is a trigger, a reminder about the abuse that would follow."
The then boy would often be made to "stand to attention" for lengthy periods.
Cruel Watt was known to "intimidate and scare" both children.
He would pull bed covers tightly over the boy leaving the youngster struggling for breath.
Mr Watson: "Watt told him when he could and could not sleep - it was all on his terms."
The girl - when she was with the boy - would often hearing him crying and begging Watt to stop.
Watt was also found guilty of assaulting a woman around this time.
She described how they were "too many to count".
This included him leaving her hurt after being smacked with a hoover.
Watt, formerly of the city's Bellahouston, claimed he did not know why the abuse allegations were made although admitted assaulting the woman "once or twice".
Hear the latest news on Clyde 1 on FM, DAB, smart speaker or the Rayo app.