A pervert who wanted to take a 14-year-old ‘girl’s’ virginity after setting up a fake Facebook profile has been thrown behind bars.
James Phillips, described as a “dangerous sexual predator”, was caught by ‘paedophile hunters’ after he set up a fake profile under the alias ‘Anthony Moss’ to contact the ‘girl’.
The 28-year-old was already on licence for sexual offences involving an underage girl when he set up the fake profile and spoke to ‘Becky’, which was actually a decoy set up by members of the Predator Exposure group.
Using his new alias, Phillips then arranged to meet the ‘girl’ on February 2 this year at a supermarket with the intention of taking her virginity, Leeds Crown Court heard.
When he went to meet her at Sainsbury’s in Dewsbury, West Yorks., he was instead confronted by members of the group.
Leeds Crown Court heard how Phillips had tried to run away but was detained by members of the group until police arrived, which was streamed live on the Predator Exposure group site.
Prosecutor Christopher Dunn said Phillips had been jailed for two years in July 2014 when he was convicted of inciting a girl aged under 16 to engage in sexual activity.
He received a further 15-month jail term in May 2017 when he breached the terms of his sexual offences prevention order by sending indecent images to an underage girl.
Chris Aspinall, mitigating, said Phillips had pleaded guilty, admitted his offences to police from the start and fully accepted his intention was to have sex with ‘Becky’.
He said this level of acceptance marked a change in behaviour and might be a sign of “light at the end of the tunnel”.
Phillips, from Heckmondwike, West Yorks., admitted attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity, attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming, attempting to have penetrative sex with a child and breaching a sexual offences prevention order.
Leeds Recorder Paul Greaney QC said: “I have no doubt at all that there is a significant risk to members of the public.
“You are a dangerous sexual predator.
“You have, it is quite plain, a complete inability to control your sexual impulses to have sex with girls.”
Phillips was jailed for six years, with an extended term of eight years due to the high risk of harm he presents, bringing the total sentence to 14 years.
The sentence includes 18 months in prison to be served concurrently for breaching the sexual offences order, which he will remain subject to indefinitely.
