Watson jailed

The Herald reports:

A United Kingdom court has sentenced New Zealand businessman Eric Watson to a four-month jail term.

TVNZ reports a High Court judge in London found Watson in contempt of court for withholding information about his assets from philanthropist Sir Owen Glenn.

It is rare for someone to be jailed in relation to what was a civil matter, but read on for why:

In an October 2 decision, Lord Justice Christopher Nugee said it was “demonstrated how blatantly Mr Watson lied to the Court of Appeal” about the state of his assets.

Watson’s formal witness statement to the Court of Appeal displayed his “willingness to tell outright lies if he thinks they will remain undetected”.

“It is one of the clearest examples of why I regard him as a witness whose evidence is almost worthless.”

I can’t recall a Judge damning someone to that extent before as a liar. This explains I think why a jail term has been imposed. Watson seems to think his wealth gives him immunity from consequences.