Notorious child killer, rapist denied parole
Child killer Barrie John Watts, who raped and murdered 12-year-old schoolgirl Sian Kingi more than 35 years ago in one of Queensland’s most shocking crimes, has failed in his latest bid for freedom.
Watts and his then wife Valmae Beck were convicted and given life sentences in 1990 for killing the Noosa girl on the Sunshine Coast in 1987.
Sian had been riding her bike home from school at Noosa Heads when she was asked for help to look for a supposed lost dog.
She was bound and gagged, then driven about 12km to Tinbeerwah forest, where she was raped and stabbed multiple times.
At trial, Beck pleaded guilty to the abduction and rape of Sian, but not guilty to murder.
Watts pleaded not guilty.
Beck, a mother-of-six, changed her name to Fay Cramb and died in a north Queensland hospital in May 2008, aged 64.
Watts first became eligible for parole on December 15, 2000.
He has now been denied parole again.
Parole Board Queensland president Michael Byrne issued a declaration, saying Watts could not apply for parole again until February 2034.
“I have made this declaration because of the nature, seriousness and circumstances of the offence for which the prisoner was sentenced to life imprisonment,” he said.
“(Also, because) of the risk the prisoner may pose to the public if the prisoner is granted parole, and of the likely effect that the prisoner’s release on parole may have on an eligible person or a victim.
“Consequently, the prisoner’s parole application received on October 14, 2022, which was deferred … is refused.”
It comes after laws were introduced for the state’s worst murderers in 2021, following a public appeal to keep Watts locked up.
The laws allow the Parole Board president to prevent child killers and those who have murdered multiple people from applying for parole for up to 10 years beyond their eligibility date.
Multiple declarations can be made against a person deemed a restricted prisoner.
The laws could also apply to other murderers down the track such as Daniel Morcombe’s killer Brett Peter Cowan, and triple killers Max Sica and Scott Maygar.
