A SEX offender has been warned that his “persistently breaching” court orders will see him sent to prison.

Phillip Bowley, 53, was convicted in July after he was caught sending sexually explicit messages – including a picture of his penis – to who he thought was an 14-year-old boy on the dating site FabGuys and WhatsApp.

The ‘boy’ was actually an undercover police officer.

Bowley was jailed for nine months, suspended for two years, for attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child. He was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order and must register as a sex offender – both for 10 years – and was ordered to complete 25 days of rehabilitation activity requirement.

The court heard that Bowley breached the terms of his sexual harm prevention order within a couple of weeks, after he was found to have installed cleaning software on his devices.

The software had been activated on July 28 and August 5 – prior to taking them to the police on August 7 for monitoring software to be installed.

He admitted that breach, and was sentenced to six months, suspended for a year, on September 13 as well as being handed an additional five days of rehabilitation activity requirement.

Bowley, of the B4315 in Templeton, near Narberth, appeared in court again on November 16.

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Prosecutor Alycia Carpanini said that, following that breach, Bowley had been required to attend a police station to register his details with the police – something which is required under the notification requirements of the sex offenders register.

He failed to attend, and was called in for a voluntary interview on September 18.

David Singh, defending, said Bowley accepted the breach, but said it was a “misunderstanding”.

The court heard that Bowley said there was “some ambiguity” over whether he needed to attend in person, and that he had phoned the police and left messages with officers.

The judge, Recorder J Powell, accepted that there was “a measure of misunderstanding” by Bowley.

“I’m prepared to give you one last chance,” he said.

Bowley was sentenced to three months, suspended for a year, and must complete an additional five rehabilitation activity requirement days.

However, Recorder Powell warned Bowley: “If you want to go to prison then the court will be only too happy to send you to prison because you are persistently breaching the orders.

“You are getting in to a position where you are forcing a court to send you to prison.

“I cannot stress hard enough that it’s now or never to comply with what the court has imposed upon you. Because if you don’t, you will be going to prison.”