'Lonely' man stung by online paedophile hunter group

A ‘lonely’ man who went looking for a girlfriend over the internet was stung by a hunter group after he struck up a conversation with 13-year-old girl.
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Philip Stabler had no idea it was a decoy profile from the group Angels of Innocence, looking to entrap sex predators trawling the net.

The 64-year-old contacted the profile on a dating site in February 2020 and began exchanging messages.

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Prosecutor Richard Walters told Leeds Crown Court that Stabler was told that the ‘girl’ was just 13 but he persisted, telling her he’d like to speak with her every day and asked her not to tell her family or friends.

Leeds Crown Court.Leeds Crown Court.
Leeds Crown Court.

The conversation turned sexual and he sent her pictures and videos of himself masturbating.

He then ended the conversation, saying he was too old for her.

Mr Walters said there was a “pathetic element” to Stabler, who has never had an intimate relationship with anyone, and had been a full-time carer for his mother.

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After being arrested, Stabler told police he was trying to find a girlfriend.

He admitted a charge of intentionally inciting a child to engage into sexual activity and intentionally causing a child to watch a sexual act.

No mitigation was offered by his barrister, Shila Whitehead, after Judge Christopher Batty said he would not send him to jail.

He told Ms Whitehead: “He (Stabler) is not a manipulative paedophile but a rather sad and lonely man.

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"Without any sexual experience, he embarked on a conversation which became exciting, but knowing the age of the ‘girl’ he thought better of it and immediately withdrew it.”

He handed Stabler, of Katrina Grove, Featherstone, a six-month jail term, suspended for 18 months.

He was also given a seven-year sexual harm prevention order, to limit his internet use, and told to sign the sex offenders register for seven years.

Judge Batty told him: “What you did was wrong, but you realised that and that’s why you stopped. Luckily, this never got very far.

"You are somebody who has never had a relationship and who, for a brief period of time, thought those discussions were sexually fulfilling.”