Wayne Philip Phillipson, who is already behind bars for a series of child sex offences, was found guilty of attacking the girl following a trial at the High Court in Livingston in August 2024
A sexual predator who journeyed from England to Scotland to brutally rape a child he met on Snapchat has been sentenced to seven years in prison. Wayne Philip Phillipson, already incarcerated for a series of child sex offences, was found guilty of assaulting the victim after a trial at the High Court in Livingston in August 2024.
The 48-year-old, hailing from Durham, sent the girl a string of sexual, indecent and obscene messages over three days in September 2021. He then travelled approximately 150 miles from his home to the West Lothian area that same month after arranging to meet the 12-year-old child.
The monster then subjected the girl to a violent sexual assault and rape in a wooded area. She managed to escape and Phillipson was tracked down by police shortly afterwards.
At the conclusion of the trial, the accused admitted to two charges of breaching bail conditions. He was imprisoned for a minimum of seven years under the Order for Lifelong Restriction (OLR) at the High Court in Glasgow on Friday.
Phillipson was previously sentenced to eight and-a-half years in February last year after being convicted of a series of sex crimes against children across the UK, reports the Daily Record.
Serial sex offender Wayne Phillipson, who was homeless, manipulated children across the country through Snapchat and an app called Wink, inciting them to send him indecent images. His travels in pursuit of meetings with youngsters he contacted online finally ended with his arrest in the heart of Wrexham on 9 June, 2022.
Officers discovered over 100 indecent pictures on his phone and evidence of connections with 29 kids UK-wide. This shocking case follows a report that noted almost 3,000 child sexual abuse images in Scotland over five years, half linked to Snapchat.
Katrina Parkes, Scotland’s chief legal official for High Court Sexual Offences, commented: “Wayne Phillipson is a predatory individual who used social media to target this young child in a planned course of action. This type of offending has no place in Scotland and victims can be assured that we are committed to the effective prosecution of such crimes.”
She added, “We hope this conviction brings some comfort and I would urge anyone with information or knowledge of offending of this kind to come forward and report it as soon as they can. You will be listened to and supported as we seek to secure justice using all the tools at our disposal.”
Detective Inspector Craig Higgins, from the Child and Adult Protection Unit in Livingston, has branded Phillipson a “dangerous sexual predator” after he was convicted for his vile crimes. DI Higgins praised the young victim’s bravery, saying: “Phillipson is a dangerous sexual predator who subjected this young girl to a horrendous ordeal and now faces the consequences of his actions.”
He continued to commend her courage: “I commend the girl for her strength in reporting his offending and throughout the legal proceedings and hope that this can bring her and her family closure as they continue to move forward with their life.”
DI Higgins also encouraged other victims to come forward: “I’d urge anyone who has been a victim of a sexual crime or has suffered sexual abuse, regardless of when it happened, to come forward and report it to us. All reports are thoroughly investigated, and we have specially trained officers who, alongside our partner agencies, will support you throughout.”
