Sex offender from Cambridgeshire jailed after being caught by paedophile hunter group

A paedophile who struck up sexual conversations with what he thought was a 14-year-old girl has been jailed for more than four years.

Grant Brownlow, 36, began speaking to a decoy from an online child activist group in October 2020.

When the decoy told Brownlow they were 14, he turned the conversation sexual, said Cambridgeshire Police.

On Friday at Cambridge Crown Court, Brownlow, of Bronze Street, March, was jailed for four years and six months, having been found guilty of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity.

He had earlier pleaded guilty to possessing an extreme pornographic image.

Brownlow must sign the sex offenders register for life and was handed an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

After his initial conversations with the decoy, Brownlow did not speak to them from December 2020 to July 2021 but started again in that month.

On 21 November 2021, the activist group confronted Brownlow at his home in March and called police.

A search of Brownlow’s devices uncovered five extreme images involving animals.

Det Con Caroline Murphy said: “Brownlow was clearly told by the group he was talking to a 14-year-old girl, so only he can say why he continued making sexual advances.

"There was clear intent there to commit a sexual offence so young people will be safer with him behind bars.”

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