PHILIP JONES IN WIRRAL JAILED FOR SEXUAL ABUSE OF CHILD AND OTHER OFFENCES

In May 2021, it was revealed that Philip Jones, a former soldier from Wirral, had committed heinous crimes including raping and molesting a young girl prior to his 2013 arrest. Jones, who was 59 at the time, was already serving a sentence for other offenses, but recent disclosures uncovered his previous abuse of a young girl which only came to light when she confided in her mother last May.

The victim, now an adult, sat with her mother at Liverpool Crown Court as Jones appeared via video link from prison. Prosecutor Eric Lamb explained that the girl had wanted to reveal her trauma for years, saying, "She explained that she wanted to disclose the offending for several years and she felt the burden of carrying the secret. The defendant told her she must not say anything to her mother and she was scared of being reprimanded, so she chose to remain silent. But it had been on her mind for many years and she said she wanted to 'get this off my chest.'"

Details of the abuse included that Jones initially confused the girl by pretending to comfort her after she had vomited when first sexually assaulted. Despite her crying out that he was hurting her, he continued until she stopped. He then raped her on subsequent occasions and performed a sexual act on her during a fourth incident. The girl was confused and scared, and initially did not want to write a victim statement, fearing her peers might find out. She also reported that hearing Jones's body wash or seeing similar scents triggered painful memories, causing her to cry or feel overwhelmed.

Jones, of Poulton Road, Seacombe, and formerly of Trafalgar Road, Birkenhead, had a criminal history before these offences—including previous convictions for wounding and a 1996 rape, for which he was jailed for three and a half years. After leaving the Army, he worked as an HGV driver. In 2013, he targeted a 24-year-old woman in Birkenhead, using nitrazepam—the drug related to Rohypnol—to facilitate a sexual assault. When police seized his computer, they discovered 183 indecent images of children and extreme pornography. He had also conducted numerous internet searches related to "date rape" and visited rape sites thousands of times.

Jones pleaded guilty to two counts of rape and two counts of sexual assault following court proceedings. Investigations also revealed his prior breaches of sex offender regulations; he was sentenced to 20 months in December 2014 for failing to update authorities and breaching a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO). His home was raided in November 2019, where police recovered a hidden mobile phone.

Judge Swinnerton addressed Jones’s conduct, stating, "You acted as a predatory paedophile when the opportunity presented itself to you," particularly noting a specific incident when the victim was vulnerable due to illness. He sentenced Jones to 13 and a half years in prison, with a subsequent five-year extension on licence. The judge emphasized that Jones must serve at least nine years before applying for parole, and he will be subject to lifelong monitoring, including signing the Sex Offenders Register and adhering to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.