February 2019 Convicted paedophile caught in police sting A paedophile with an “appalling” record of sexual offending tried to meet someone he believed to be a 13-year-old girl at Cardiff Central railway station. Phillip Stephens, 60, thought the girl was at secondary school but made arrangements to buy condoms, pick her up from the station, and take her back to his home. Cardiff Crown Court heard he sent the supposed child a message saying: “Has anyone ever sucked your tits, love?” Jason Howells, prosecuting, said the teenager called Jade was actually an undercover police officer who set up a profile on the site Meet 24. The court heard Stephens introduced himself on the morning of December 18 asking how Jade was and what she was looking for. She told him she was bored at school. Mr Howells said: “The conversation quickly changed to become very sexualised.” When Jade asked how old he was Stephens replied: “I’m 60 but age is only a set of numbers.” The court heard Jade clearly stated she was 13 then the defendant told her she was beautiful and asked if she would like to meet up. Stephens told the girl he would buy condoms on the way to meet her at the station then they would have sex at his house before going shopping. Prosecutors said he told her how to “play with herself” and told her he wished he could see her do it. The court heard there were “very graphic” messages about how he wanted to have sex with her, adding: “Tell no-one about this, love.” Stephens arranged to meet the child at midday on December 21 and told her what he would be wearing so she could recognise him. Police officers were waiting to arrest him and noticed he was “visibly shaking” as he said: “I knew this was a set-up.” They searched his home and seized devices including a laptop, webcam and USB sticks. He answered “no comment” to the questions put to him in interview. Mr Howells said Stephens was jailed for six years in 1992 for rape and indecent assault. In 2004 he was sent to prison for four years and six months with an extended licence period for further indecent assault offences. He was also disqualified for life from working with children. The court heard Stephens was back behind bars in 2017 for possessing indecent images of children. Stephens, from Daviot Street in Cardiff, admitted attempting to meet a girl following grooming and two counts of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity. The court heard he was working on the production line at Memory Lane Cakes until he was charged and does not have any family living locally. Defence said: “He spends long periods of time in solitude. He fully accepts attraction to young girls even though he has been through previous sexual offender programmes, which have clearly not worked. “ In his sentencing remarks Judge Michael Fitton QC said: “You have an appalling record of sexual offending. In your interview with the Probation Service you confirmed that you continue to experience sexual attraction to prepubescent girls.” He found Stephens to be a dangerous offender and imposed an eight-and-a-half-year extended sentence. The defendant must serve at least two thirds of the 42-month jail term before he can be considered for release. He will then have a five-year licence period. Judge Fitton also imposed an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and Stephens must continue to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.