Paedophile pounced on by cops at park the place he deliberate to abuse ‘boy’, 14
Predatory Thomas Lowe was arrested when he arrived at the park, where he thought he was meeting a boy he had groomed for days by sending explicit pictures and making plans for ‘sexual activity’
A paedophile was jailed after a trip to a water park where cops said he planned to commit a sexual offence against a 14-year-old boy. Predatory Thomas Lowe, 33, was instead confronted and arrested by police officers.
Lowe believed he was contacting a teen, grooming the ‘boy’ for days over social media platforms, sending explicit messages and pictures, and making ‘arrangements for sexual activity’. But unbeknown to him, he was actually contacting specialist police officers. They pounced to arrest him after he arrived at an ‘agreed meeting point’ he suggested at Sale Water Park in Trafford, Greater Manchester.
Lowe, of Garland Road, Wythenshawe, pleaded guilty to charges of attempting to engage in sexual communications with a child; arranging/facilitating the commission of sexual activity with a child by penetration and attempting to meet a boy aged under 16 following grooming.
At Manchester Crown Court last Friday, he was jailed for three years. A 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order – restricting his behaviour and internet use in the future – was also passed and Lowe will remain on the Sex Offenders’ Register indefinitely, police said.
The North West Regional Organised Crime Unit (NWROCU), which launched the investigation into him, has welcomed the conviction and sentencing.
A spokesperson for the NWROCU said in a statement: “Between 30 July and 8 August 2025, Lowe engaged online with what he believed to be a 14-year-old boy on two well-known social media platforms.
“Over several days, he sent sexually explicit messages and images and discussed arrangements for sexual activity. On 8 August 2025, Lowe travelled to Sale Water Park, Manchester, intending to meet the boy for sex.
“Instead, he was arrested by officers from the NWROCU’s Internet Child Abuse Team as he approached the agreed meeting point. Lowe immediately admitted he knew his actions were wrong.”
Detective Constable Adam Cronshaw, NWROCU Internet Child Abuse Team, said: “Lowe knew that sexually communicating with a child was illegal and completely unacceptable. By travelling to meet the boy, he demonstrated clear intent to commit a serious sexual offence.
“This sentence protects children in our communities and sends a strong message to other predators that this behaviour will be robustly investigated and prosecuted. Following his release, Lowe will be subject to strict conditions closely supervised by a police offender manager.”
An image Lowe sent to the ‘boy’ over social media, showing him posing near a bus stop, has been released by police, as well as his arrest mugshot.
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