JAMES PHILLIPS OF HECKMONDWIKE SENTENCED FOR SEXUAL OFFENCES IN LEEDS AND DEWSBURY

In April 2018, James Phillips, a man residing in Heckmondwike, was brought to justice after a series of disturbing incidents involving his inappropriate and illegal online behavior towards minors. Phillips, who has a troubling history of sexual offenses, was ultimately sentenced to a significant prison term following his latest conviction, which stemmed from his attempts to groom a minor for sexual activity and his repeated breaches of court orders designed to protect children.

Phillips’s criminal activities came under intense scrutiny after he was caught by self-styled paedophile hunters, known as ‘Predator Exposure’. The hunters set a trap for him in Dewsbury, specifically in the parking lot of a Sainsbury’s supermarket, on February 2. This operation was part of a broader effort to monitor and apprehend individuals who attempt to engage minors in sexual conversations online. Phillips believed he was communicating with a 14-year-old girl, but in reality, the account he was messaging was also fake, created by the hunters to lure him into their trap.

Prior to this incident, Phillips had a long history of sexual offenses. In July 2014, he was sentenced to two years in prison after being convicted of inciting a girl under 16 to engage in sexual activity. His criminal record further includes a 15-month sentence handed down in May 2017, after he breached a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) by sending indecent images to an underage girl. These previous convictions underscored his pattern of predatory behavior and disregard for court-imposed restrictions.

In the latest case, Phillips had set up a fake Facebook account and initiated contact with what he believed was a 14-year-old girl. He arranged to meet her, an act that constitutes attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming. The Leeds Crown Court heard that he pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity, attempting to meet a child following grooming, and failing to comply with notification requirements.

Prosecutor Christopher Dunn highlighted Phillips’s criminal history, noting that he had previously served two years in prison for similar offenses and had been re-sentenced in 2017 for breaching the sexual offences prevention order by messaging a teenage girl on Facebook and sending her explicit images. The court was told that Phillips had also previously breached the same order in May 2017 when he sent a teenage girl photos of his genitals.

During the sentencing, Recorder Paul Greaney QC expressed grave concerns about Phillips’s dangerousness. He stated, “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.”

As a result, Phillips was sentenced to six years in prison, with an extended term of eight years due to the high risk he poses, bringing his total potential time behind bars to 14 years. An additional 18 months was ordered to be served concurrently for breaching the sexual offences order, and he will remain subject to indefinite supervision and restrictions.

Howard Shaw, representing Phillips, acknowledged that although his client still resides with his parents, he had maintained some age-appropriate relationships with young women. However, Shaw admitted that Phillips’s recent actions, including sending indecent images and attempting to meet a minor, were highly inappropriate. The court’s decision reflected the seriousness of Phillips’s repeated violations and the ongoing threat he poses to the safety of children in the community.