Sex offender jailed after meeting up with police
Thames Valley PoliceA registered sex offender who thought he was meeting a 13-year-old following sexual communications online was arrested after instead being met by police.
Thomas Reeds, 25, from Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, was arrested after travelling down to Reading to meet the child in April.
He was jailed for seven-and-a-half years after admitting 18 offences, including engaging in sexual communication with a child.
Reeds was already banned from having unsupervised contact with children under 16 following another court appearance at Manchester Crown Court in April 2024.
After officers arrested him, they found Reeds was in contact with other children and that he was in possession of 15 indecent images of children.
At Reading Crown Court on Friday, he pleaded guilty to the offences.
They included three breaches of a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO), eight attempted breaches of a SHPO and making indecent images of a child.
Det Con Stuart Robertson, from SEROCU, said: "Thomas Reeds posed a significant threat to children and took active steps to pursue and facilitate sexual offending.
"We welcome this sentence which reflects the seriousness of these offences and demonstrates our commitment to identifying offenders, safeguarding children, and bringing those responsible before the courts.
"Anyone who has experienced sexual abuse, or who has concerns about a child, should report it to police.
"Information provided by the public plays a vital role in protecting vulnerable people and preventing harm."