'Predatory' teenager who had sex with schoolgirl locked up by judge
A "predatory" teenager who had sex with an underage schoolgirl has been locked up after he threw away the chance to change his life.
Haydn Phillips, 19, who had been living at The Foyer Hostel in Newtown, at the time of the offence, admitted sexual activity with a child dating back to October 2014.
Mold Crown Court heard he had been assessed as posing a serious risk to young girls. Judge Niclas Parry previously placed him on a three-year community order with supervision and said that there was a lot of work to be done with him.
For three months he was ordered to live at The Ty Newydd Bail Hostel at Llandygai. But yesterday he was sentenced to 21 months youth custody after he admitted breaching that order.
Phillips was ordered to register with the police as a sex offender for 10 years and a 10-year sexual harm prevention order was made.
Judge Parry told him that his attitude towards the victim was demeaning. He blamed her for what happened.
He had been described in the pre-sentence report as being a predator as far as young girls were concerned, he had a poor record for harassment but he had refused every offer of help.
On the last occasion the judge said that he had been persuaded to give the defendant a chance.
That was on the basis of a psychological report which said that he would benefit from intervention from the mental health services. The report said if he did not get that opportunity then his behaviour could deteriorate further.
His attitude made the author of the pre-sentence report question whether he could be safely managed within the community or whether he would continue to be a serious risk of harm to girls. Other professionals shared that view.
Judge Parry said that he had been persuaded by his guilty plea and his mental health difficulties, and his improved relationship with his social worker that he should be given a chance.
"But the warnings proved to be right," the judge told him. Within a very short time of the order being made he was refusing help and was being abusive and threatening to staff at the hostel where he lived.
He ignored warnings and the judge told him: "It is quite clear that the public will not be protected by you being given anything other than an immediate custodial sentence."
Judge Parry warned that for an adult the starting point would be one of three years but the range took the sentence up to six years.
He took into account his guilty plea, he was 16 at the time of the offence and was only 19 now, and that he had no previous convictions of a sexual nature.
The October hearing was told that he had considered having intercourse with a young girl to be a bit of fun.
The defendant admitted having sex with a teenage girl, but earlier allegations of rape were dropped.
