A sadistic female member of a depraved family gang who kept a ‘vulnerable’ man as a slave, torturing him before finally cutting off his head has been moved to an open prison as a precursor to his release.
Nichola Roberts, now 34, had served just thirteen years of a life sentence for murder when she was recommended for transfer to a soft Cat D prison by the Parole Board.
Roberts, then 22, was one of three people convicted of murder over the horrific death of Michael Gilbert, 26, who was stabbed, shot with an air rifle and treated like a dog for a decade.
The case sent shockwaves through police and social services and two separate reports revealed that Gilbert was abandoned by numerous professionals from early childhood until his body was dumped in the Blue Lagoon in Arlesey, Bedfordshire, in 2009.
Nichola Roberts, pictured in 2010, has been transferred to an open prison as a precursor to her release
Roberts, then 22, was one of three people convicted of murder over the horrific death of Michael Gilbert (pictured), 26, who was stabbed, shot with an air rifle and treated like a dog for a decade.
He was held as a slave by a family known to police, beaten and sexually abused before being murdered, while his captors demanded his benefits.
Three police investigations involving Mr Gilbert were “flawed”, the Independent Police Complaints Commission said in 2011.
In 2010, Roberts was convicted of murder at Luton Crown Court, along with ringleader James Watt, 27, and his girlfriend, Natasha Oldfield, 29.
James’s brother, Robert Watt, 20, and his mother, Jennifer Smith-Dennis, 58, were sentenced to eight years and 10 years respectively for familial murder.
A third brother, Richard Watt, 25, Robert’s friend, who previously pleaded guilty to familial murder, was sentenced to six years in prison.
MailOnline has learned that Roberts has won a move from closed conditions to the open estate, which offers remote job placements, guided day trips and eventually weekend release.
A Parole Board spokesperson confirmed: ‘The Parole Board refused the release of Nicola Roberts, but recommended a move to an open conditions prison following an oral hearing in December 2022.
‘This was only a recommendation and the Secretary of State for Justice considers the advice before making a final decision on whether a prisoner is suitable for open conditions.
In 2010, Roberts was convicted of murder at Luton Crown Court, along with ringleader James Watt (left) and his girlfriend Natasha Oldfield (right)
Officers pull a bag containing Michael Gilbert’s body from the lagoon during a grim discovery in 2009
‘We will only make a recommendation for open conditions if a Parole Board panel is satisfied that the risk to the public has been sufficiently reduced to be manageable in an open prison and if a transfer to an open prison is deemed essential for future spending decisions.
‘A move to open conditions involves testing the prisoner’s readiness for a possible return to the community in the future. Prisoners transferred to open conditions may be returned to closed conditions if there are concerns about their behavior.
‘The prisoner and the witnesses are then extensively interrogated during the hearing, which often lasts a whole day or longer. A parole review is conducted thoroughly and with the utmost care. Protecting the public is our first priority.”
MailOnline also understands that Robert Watt and his mother, Jennifer Smith-Dennis, have been released after serving their sentences.
Richard Watt was also released but was later recalled to prison for breaching his license conditions.
The court evidence and several subsequent investigations painted a miserable picture of Mr Gilbert’s childhood. He was in and out of foster homes and children’s homes, with no one responsible for his well-being.
When he left the care system, he went to live with the Watt family after meeting James Watt in a children’s home at the age of 15.
He suffered horrific violence in their home, including being stabbed, beaten with a baseball bat, forced to stand in boiling water and shot with an air pistol.
Evidence given at the criminal trial showed he had a pair of locking pliers attached to his body to lead him around ‘like a dog on a leash’.
He was also attacked by the group’s pit bulls. The gang all came from Luton, Bedfordshire.
In one bizarre incident, he even had to goad a large exotic lizard until it attacked him.
The horrific abuse was often recorded on mobile phones. The girlfriend of his main tormentor even created a “game show” where individuals were paid to attack him.
Although Mr Gilbert occasionally escaped, the gang contacted the Department for Work and Pensions and quoted his national insurance number to discover where he was reporting before recapturing him.
Amazingly, the police knew he was in trouble but he didn’t want to press charges because the victim said ‘it would only make things worse in the long run’.
Gilbert eventually died after a new form of torture was devised, in which members of the family jumped on his stomach.
They then dismembered his corpse at their home before throwing it into a lake known as the Blue Lagoon in nearby Arlesey.
Some parts of his body, including the torso, hands and feet, were found by two dog walkers last year, while others, including his head, were not recovered until February 2011.
Judge John Bevan told jurors they had reviewed “horrendous” evidence and excused them from not being called to jury duty again.
After the hearing, Mr Gilbert’s mother, Rosalie, 49, turned her anger on Smith-Dennis.
“What kind of woman would allow the things we heard about to continue in her home for all these years?” she said.
‘You raise your children as best you can, not cold-blooded murderers. That mother could have done something to help Michael, but never did.”
Prosecutor Stuart Trimmer QC told Luton Crown Court: ‘He had no one with the power to cut his ties with this family.’
Three independent investigations found that Bedfordshire Police had committed a series of blunders, including taking down the wrong mobile phone number and even saying Gilbert could have fabricated his injuries.
IPCC Commissioner Rachel Cerfontyne said in 2011: ‘This is a tragic case and one where the gruesome manner of Michael’s death must make it even more difficult for his loved ones to cope with their loss.
“We looked at specific allegations that police failed to investigate three incidents involving Michael and the Watt family.
Gang leader James Watt, now 39, was jailed for a minimum of 36 years and Natasha Oldfield, now 41, was given a minimum sentence of 18 years. Both are still in prison.