Grant Brownlow

A paedophile from March, Cambridgeshire, has been sentenced to over four years in prison after attempting to engage in sexual communication with what he believed was a 14-year-old girl online. Grant Brownlow, 36, of Bronze Street, March, was exposed by an online child activist group and subsequently pleaded guilty to possessing extreme pornographic images.

The incident began in October 2020 when Brownlow initiated contact with a decoy account created by the activist group. The decoy explicitly informed him that she was 14 years old, yet Brownlow proceeded to steer the conversation towards sexual topics. After a period of inactivity from December 2020 to July 2021, Brownlow resumed communication with the decoy in July 2021, continuing his inappropriate advances.

On 21 November 2021, members of the activist group confronted Brownlow at his home in March and alerted the police. A subsequent search of his electronic devices by Cambridgeshire Constabulary uncovered five extreme images involving animals, in addition to evidence of his attempts to incite sexual activity with the supposed child.

Brownlow was charged with 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. On Friday, 31 May 2024, at Cambridge Crown Court, he was sentenced to four years and six months' imprisonment. Additionally, Brownlow was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life and received an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

Detective Constable Caroline Murphy of Cambridgeshire Constabulary commented on the case, stating: "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." This case highlights the role of activist groups in identifying potential child sex offenders online and the swift action taken by local police forces to protect vulnerable individuals.