The phrasing...

...makes me disagree with your view. Not that what you say is false, just that I don't think this case was decided on this. The magistrate responded: "It can't be consensual if she's a 10 year-old girl." doesn't sound like the magistrate was only being a blind applier of the law - it sounds like he had an agenda to pursue. But Mr Tarr said Mr Watson's alleged acts were serious and he should remain in custody. confirms this, as the defence counsel proposed a non-custodial solution, which means that such solution was in the books and thus the magistrate didn't have a legal need to sentence him as harsh as that. Therefore, the magistrate sure wasn't blind.