A civilian Lincolnshire Police worker admitted making an improvised explosive device found following a search of her home.
Former PCSO Zoe Ashley Watts, 35, was arrested in October 2020 after police searched her semi-detached house in St Helens Avenue, Lincoln.
It followed concerns raised by the Border Force who had intercepted packages containing two butterfly knives a month earlier.
Watts today appeared at Lincoln Crown Court where she pleaded guilty to making an explosive substance, namely an improvised explosive device, between January 1 and October 4, 2020.
Zoe Watts with a collection of bats.
Andrew Peat, representing the prosecution, said the Crown accepted Watts’ account for why she had the device and other items, and would not pursue a trial on the matter.
Mr Peat told the court: “Unlike similar cases there is no evidence any of these items were possessed with an ideology in mind, anything political.”
When Watts was arrested Lincolnshire Police said officers discovered a quantity of chemicals and a number of weapons.
Nearby residents were evacuated for a number of hours and a bomb disposal team was called out to carry out safety checks before the all clear was given.
Watts, who previously was a member of the Bracebridge Lowfields Community Police Team working in the south of Lincoln, has been suspended by the force pending the outcome of criminal proceedings and an investigation.
She was also a trade union activist serving as the equalities officer for the Lincolnshire Police UNISON.
Watts, who worked for Lincolnshire Police for nine years, had moved to a civilian role by the time of her arrest.
Watts pleaded to five charges relating to other items found in her home and two butterfly knives which were intercepted by the Border Force in September last year.
Zoe will be sentenced on June 29. | Photo: Stephen Daniels
Her guilty pleas were to the following charges:
Making an explosive substance, namely an improvised explosive device, between January 1 and October 4, 2020.
On October 4, 2020 had in her possession a prohibted weapon adapted for discharge of a noxious liquid, gas or other thing, namely an electric fly swat.
On October 4, 2020 had in her possession a prohibited weapon, namely stun gun.
On October 4, 2020 had in her possession a prohibited weapon, namely a taser stun device.
On September 5 improperly imported goods, a prohibited weapon, namely a butterfly knife.
Zoe uses a baseball bat covered in glass and smashes watermelons with faces of famous people including Donald Trump and Boris Johnson. | Still: YouTube
Nick Fooks, defending Watts, told the court she was anxious to be sentenced straight away.
Mr Fooks said: “She is a woman of previous good characher.
“This defendant has already served somewhere in the region of eight months in custody.”
But Judge Catarina Sjolin Knight rejected the application, stating: “It is a very odd set of offences.”
The judge told Watts: “I am going to adjourn your case for the preparation of a pre-sentence report which will address all options, including the risk you pose to others.”
Watts will be sentenced on June 29 and was remanded back into custody.
Assistant Chief Constable at Lincolnshire Police, Kerrin Wilson, says: “We have been and continue to be shocked by this case.
“Our investigation revealed Watts had a fascination with weapons and while there was no evidence to suggest she had plans to use these, the nature of them was disturbing and quite frankly, completely incompatible with what we stand for at Lincolnshire Police.
“The charges relate to the weapons Watts had which are illegal and we believe the explosive device could have been capable of detonating and causing injury to anyone in close proximity of it.
“I fully recognise that our communities may find it worrying to hear that a member of the police was involved in such activity. Cases like this are extremely rare and we have dealt with this very robustly once concerns were brought to our attention.
“I’d like to thank residents for their patience and understanding when properties were evacuated and our investigation team who have worked diligently to bring this case to justice.”
Spotted an error? Please notify us by selecting that text and pressing Ctrl+Enter.
The Lincolnite welcomes your views. All comments are reactively-moderated and must obey the house rules. Please stay on topic and be respectful of other readers.
The Lincolnite welcomes your views. All comments are reactively-moderated and must obey the house rules. Please stay on topic and be respectful of other readers.
Those who lost their lives at war to defend our freedoms will be honoured on Remembrance Day this year, as part of a weekend of services in Lincoln.
Remembrance services have been observed since the end of the First World War in 1918, to honour armed forces members who lost their lives serving their countries in the line of duty.
It is an annual tradition for services to be held across the country, and this year is no different, as Lincoln prepares for a weekend-long Remembrance of our heroes of war.
There will be a brief service on Remembrance Day itself, Thursday, November 11, held at the war memorial on Lincoln High Street and organised by the Royal British Legion.
The service at the Lincoln War Memorial. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Another service will be held at the war memorial on Saturday, November 13, this time organised by City of Lincoln Council in conjunction with the Royal British Legion.
The Armistice Service will be attended by the Lord Lieutenant, the Civic Party, members of council, freemen and more, with a wreath-laying opportunity and music provided by the Lincolnshire Fire & Rescue band.
The day after, on Remembrance Sunday, Lincoln Cathedral will host its usual annual service, with the Mayor of Lincoln in attendance along with the Civic Party and members of the council.
Elsewhere in the county, West Lindsey District Council have said that the chairman will be at All Saints in Gainsborough on the morning of Remembrance Sunday, and then All Saints Parish Church in Nettleham in the afternoon for two separate services.
In North East Lincolnshire, there will be services held in Grimsby, Immingham, Laceby, New Waltham and Cleethorpes to allow people to pay tribute.
Listening to the Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s Budget live, who would have thought that over the last 18 months we have experienced one of the biggest economic shocks and seen unprecedented levels of financial intervention from a government to support our economy and public welfare.
It would be interesting to know if anyone has or was able to tot up the sums of money, billions and millions, pledged and earmarked in terms of public spending over the next few years.
It certainly seemed to be a Budget based on our economic and social prosperity being driven by investment in both the public and private sector. Whilst few predicted that this would be a Budget of tax hikes, it was not unreasonable to think it might have included some, or some inkling of future changes.
It looks like balancing the books is dependent on business innovation and investment, along with public sector and consumer spending giving rise to tax revenues from direct and indirect taxes.
With government borrowing at a level not seen since the end of the Second World War, there is surely a risk of a bumpy ride ahead if growth targets are not achieved and levelling up doesn’t really lead to levelling up.
The current rise in inflation is being, in part, attributed to increased and renewed global demand, particularly for goods following lockdown. This has led to supply chain issues along with increased energy costs linked to increased manufacturing and supply to meet such demand.
It is given this background coupled with low interest rates that inflation will settle down and so too will supply chain issues. However, perhaps workforce shortages will still be a real concern. The OBR forecast that the UK economy will return to pre-pandemic levels by the turn of the year.
Looking at the plethora of public sector spending announcements, few would disagree with much needed spending being allocated to our health service, education and infra structure projects, especially those that lead to a real levelling up. Those in the public sector will welcome the lift on the freeze for public sector pay increases.
More specific announcements, for businesses in particular, included the reduction in Business Rates for those in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors including a 1-year discount of 50%, more frequent revaluations – every three years from 2023; and relief for adopting solar panels and a 12-month rate holiday on property improvements.
For those businesses looking to make capital investments, the £1m Annual Investment Allowance will be extended to March 2023, instead of ending in December.
The arts, museums, entertainment and culture sector will no doubt applaud the announcement that the covid support and recovery Creative Tax Reliefs will not only be doubled but that they will now remain in place until April 2023.
Whilst considering relief those involved in innovation, including research and development, will be delighted to hear about the enhanced reliefs available for R &D, along with increased funding available to support such activity through Innovate UK. For those undertaking research involving cloud computing and data, they will be pleased to hear that such costs are now eligible for tax relief.
Whilst the increase to the National Minimum Wage, for those aged over 23, from £8.91 to £9.50 an hour was announced before the Budget, few were perhaps aware of the pending changes to alcohol duty which focused going forward on these being ‘simpler, fairer and heathier’ – a key winner certainly seems to be English sparking wines and draft pulled beers/lagers all benefit from lower duties.
Moving on to fuel duty, but not advocating a drive to the pub, the good news as we face unprecedent prices at the pump, was that fuel duty will again be frozen.
It would be easy to think perhaps there was little in this Budget, in some ways it would be difficult not to agree. Perhaps the test will be around the impact and effectiveness of what seems to be an unprecedented public sector spending spree. In the Chancellor’s own words, it certainly seems like ‘an age of optimism’.
For further in-depth commentary of the Autumn Budget & Spending Review 2021 you can still register for Streets’ virtual presentation at 12noon till 1pm on Thursday 28th October. All those registering and unable to join live will receive a link to the presentation recording and a digital copy of our Budget Summary. Register here.
James Pinchbeck is Partner at Streets Chartered Accountants, a top 40 UK accountancy practice. James, as a specialist in marketing professional services, is responsible for the development and implementation of the firm's strategic marketing as well as its engagement in the community it which it works and serves. His role allows him to capitalise on his broad interest in the national and local economy as well as his passion for enterprise. As part of his wider interest in enterprise, marketing and education, James is a board member of NBV – the East Midlands Enterprise Agency, an FE College Governor and a board member of the University of Lincoln’s Business School. He is also an Institute of Director’s past Branch Chairman.
A local family are feline the excitement as they prepare to open their cat cafe in a new location in the uphill area of Lincoln on Friday, and The Lincolnite went for a sneak purr-eview.
Coffee Cats first opened on Silver Street on October 1, 2019. After the impact of the coronavirus pandemic made it difficult to afford the rent and business rates, the Brown family began looking for a new location.
The family-run business has now moved into the premises on The Strait formerly occupied by The Crafty Bottle, which closed last year when the brewing company left the UK for Portugal. Coffee Cats will reopen in its new location on Friday, October 29.
Ethel chilling out in the cafe. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Ethel and Nicky in the cafe window. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
The cafe is run by Stephen Brown and his family, alongside assistant manager Natalia Cossey, and is home to seven cats – Empress Matilda, Snorri, Mark Anthony, Ratatoskr, Alfie, Ethel, and Nicky.
The oldest cat is 17-year-old Snorri, while Nicky is the youngest at just over a year old.
The cafe will be based downstairs and by Christmas the family will open a Viking-themed mead hall in the upstairs area of the premises, with comfy sofas and extra seating.
Inside Coffee Cats on The Strait in Lincoln. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Alfie relaxing in the cafe. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Mark Anthony is one of seven purr-fect cats at the cafe. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
While getting the new cafe ready and purr-fect for opening day, a high number of people have been spotted excitedly peering through the windows and taking photos of the cats in recent weeks.
Stephen told The Lincolnite: “We are anxious but ready. The cats are looking forward to seeing people too.
“We had so many looking through the window as we were getting ready and the cats will thrive from the extra attention when we open.”
Kevin and Stephen Brown with Ratatoskr (front) and Nicky (back). | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
The cafe will be run by assistant manager Natalia Cossey and manager Stephen Brown. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Coffee Cats will be open between 11am and 5pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Friday-Sunday. Thursdays and evening opening times will be added in the future, along with cat yoga and other events.
The cafe operates on a booking system of £6 for an hour and with an age restriction of 11 and over – make bookings here.
As well as housing the seven adorable cats, the cafe will also serve Stokes Coffee and fresh treats, with vegan and gluten-free options.
The cafe will serve Stokes Coffee and fresh treats, including cakes. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
A bookcase full of cat-themed books and games. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Coffee Cats is located on The Strait in Lincoln. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Coffee Cats customers and supporters can also sponsor the friendly felines at a price of £5 ‘purr’ cat via the cafe’s website.
More than one person can sponsor each cat and the money raised will go towards the upkeep of the animals, including food, cat litter and vet bills.
Whatsapp
