Watts will spend the weekend in jail after being charged with assault

Former NRL player Anthony Watts with lawyer Campbell MacCallum.

FORMER NRL bad boy Anthony Watts is to spend the weekend behind bars after telling a court he would not be represented by anyone but his Gold Coast lawyer.

Watts, 30, was charged with assault, intimidation, malicious damage and dangerous driving on Thursday evening after allegedly waving a gun and assaulting an elderly man at a business on the NSW far north coast.

Former NRL player Anthony Watts with lawyer Campbell MacCallum.
The ex-Mongols bikie was expected to apply for bail in the Byron Bay Local Court yesterday but reportedly refused to be represented by the duty lawyer and insisted on waiting until Monday when Moloney MacCallum principal, Campbell MacCallum, was available.

Police allege Watts assaulted a 73-year-old man, believed to be known to him, at a South Murwillumbah business, before driving off.


Anthony Watts. Photo: Adam Head
Police saw the car about two hours later on the Tweed Valley Way, where Watts allegedly failed to stop and was chased.

The former North Queensland Cowboys player was arrested about 8pm.

He will remain in custody until Monday when he is expected to appear in Tweed Heads Local Court.

Mr MacCallum said he had been contacted by Watts before his arrest.


Anthony Watt. Photo: Gregg Porteous
“I received a call from him following an altercation and we were arranging to surrender Mr Watts to police before he was arrested following the police pursuit,” he said.

“We are hopeful we will be able to make a bail application on Monday.”

This is not the first time Watts has been in trouble with the law.


Anthony Watts playing for Tugan Seahawks in 2011.
Earlier this year he was charged after allegedly kicking and kneeing another man at a wedding.

The 30-year-old was charged with assault occasioning bodily harm after he allegedly assaulted a bridesmaid’s partner following an argument at the Mudgeeraba wedding in August.

He is due to return to Southport Magistrates Court on the assault charge on January 23.