Vile Pontefract paedophile hid past and befriended children of unsuspecting family

Philip Stoneley was finally jailed this week after it put him in breach of his sexual harm prevention order (SHPO), designed to restrict his contact with children.

It is the fifth time he has breached the order, which he was given in 2015 after he tried to convince teenagers online to send him explicit photos. In the years since, he has continued to trawl the web looking for images of youngsters.

He was even given a new two-year suspended sentence in October last year, despite the judge telling Stoneley that he was a paedophile who remained in denial.

But the judge at Leeds Crown Court this week told him his chances had finally run out and was handed a three-year stint behind bars.

The court heard that Stoneley had spent more than two years - between June 2022 and December 2024 - in regular contact with a family and their children.

He would even take the youngsters on days out while the family had no idea of his sordid past, the court heard. However, there was no suggestion he abused the youngsters.

He would even refuse to have photos taken in case they were placed on Facebook and anyone recognised him, pretending to claim he did not want his ex wife to see him.

The 48-year-old’s past eventually came to light after rumours about him were circulated to the unsuspecting family and he was arrested on May 19 this year.

During his police interview he gave a prepared statement claiming the family were aware of his convictions.

The contact with the children put him in breach of the SHPO he received in 2015, which he later admitted.

Stoneley, of West Street, Hemsworth, appeared in court this week via video link from HMP Leeds where he was being held on remand.

Mitigating, Benjamin Bell said Stoneley had admitted his guilt at an early opportunity and had worked well with probation since his conviction in October last year.

He said he had significant health issues, including epilepsy which had resulted in several seizures while in custody. He said Stoneley also required a walking stick.

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Judge Kate Rayfield told Stoneley: “Between June 2022 and December 2024 you infiltrated a family. You knew very well you were subject to an order.

“You have a continuing sexual interest in children. There were continued Google searches online for images of children.

“You deliberately chose to ignore your order on multiple occasions. You deliberately hid your previous convictions from the family.

“In my view it was highly manipulative. You present a high risk.

“At some point you have to get the message that this order is not optional, it’s mandatory.”

She jailed him for two years and activated a year of his suspended sentence from October, making a total of three years.

She warned him that his sentences would increase in length should he continue to breach the SHPO further.