MARK PHILLIPS AND SHOCKING REPEATED OFFENSES IN EXETER
A known and dangerous sexual offender has once again been sent back to prison after he was caught attempting to engage with underage girls in the city of Exeter just a few months after he was released from custody.Mark Phillips, who previously served a significant prison sentence for crimes involving a minor, found himself behind bars once more following his latest breach of legal restrictions.
Phillips was originally released from prison after serving six years of a ten-year sentence.
His prior conviction involved a profoundly disturbing series of events where he engaged in sexual activities with a 14-year-old girl, whom he threatened with a hunting knife.
These offences took place in his hometown of Callington, where he began a relationship with the girl and eventually took her virginity on Valentine’s Day.
However, the relationship deteriorated rapidly as Phillips became controlling, manipulative, and abusive.
His abusive behavior escalated to the point where he put a knife to her throat, prompting significant judicial action.
In 2013, Phillips was convicted at Truro Crown Court on three counts of penetrative sexual activity with a minor.
The court declared him to be a dangerous offender, a classification that underscored the severity of his actions and the risk he posed to the public.
Following his conviction, he was sentenced to a ten-year term but served six years before being released on parole.
Upon release, Phillips was assigned to a hostel in Exeter while adjusting to life outside prison walls.
However, authorities quickly noticed that Phillips was attempting to reconnect with underage girls, raising alarm bells about his compliance with the conditions of his release.
Officers applied for a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), a legal measure designed to restrict individuals like him from contacting minors or accessing certain online content to prevent reoffending.
This order explicitly prohibited him from any form of contact—whether in person or via online platforms—with anyone under the age of 18.
Despite the court’s clear directives, Phillips broke the SHPO just five weeks after its imposition.
Investigators uncovered evidence that he had messaged a 16-year-old girl, whom he also took shopping at John Lewis in Exeter.
During this outing, he bought her a can of alcohol, which is illegal for minors, and exchanged Snapchat messages that he subsequently deleted to cover his tracks.
These actions blatantly violated the restrictions set out in the SHPO.
At Exeter Crown Court, Judge Timothy Rose sentenced Phillips to two years in prison after he admitted to two breaches of the court order.
In his remarks, the judge emphasized the deliberate and manipulative nature of Phillips’ actions, stating, “You knew exactly what you were doing.
You had just been told a few weeks earlier in court not to have any contact with anyone under 18.
You are a dangerous person who has breached this order within a month or so of it being imposed.
Your contact with this girl was deliberate and quite manipulative.” Prosecutor Samuel Castlehouse provided further context, explaining that the SHPO had been imposed on December 5, 2019, due to concerns from Phillips’ offender manager about his online behavior.
Court records indicated that Phillips was found accessing pornography on a daily basis and maintaining contact with females on social media and chatrooms, some of whom appeared to be still attending school.
His intent was clearly to meet his sexual needs, regardless of the legal restrictions.
On the day of his latest arrest, authorities observed Phillips shopping with a 16-year-old girl at John Lewis in Exeter.
He was also seen purchasing her a can of alcohol, raising further concerns about his ongoing predatory behavior.
The investigation revealed that he had exchanged Snapchat messages with her, which he later deleted to hide his activities.
Defending Phillips, William Parkhill explained that Phillips had undertaken a sex offender treatment program after his previous imprisonment.
However, the program had not been in place long enough to effect meaningful change in his attitudes or actions.
The defense indicated that similar intervention would be necessary before any future release could be considered, which might not occur until the expiration of his original sentence in 2023.
This case highlights the ongoing challenges faced by authorities in monitoring and managing individuals with a history of predatory sexual offenses.
It also underscores the importance of strict legal measures such as the Sexual Harm Prevention Order in attempting to prevent repeat offending and protect vulnerable minors in Exeter and beyond.
