March Paedophile hunter nabbed pervert with foot fetish in front of cheering crowd at Asda A paedophile hunter nabbed a pervert with a foot fetish in front of a cheering crowd at Asda in Shipley, Bradford Crown Court heard. Thomas Low thought he was meeting a 14-year-old boy called Ben for sexual activity when he was confronted by a online paedophile hunting team who made a citizen’s arrest. Low, 24, formerly of an address in Wrose, Bradford, had his photo circulated on social media by the paedophile hunter, prompting a mob of a hundred people to turn up outside his house. He was unable to attend court on several occasions because he was afraid of the threat from the public, the court was told on Thursday. Low was remanded in custody in another part of the country before today’s sentencing hearing. He pleaded guilty to intentionally attempting to communicate with a boy aged 14 with a view to inciting him to engage in sexual activity, between November 30 and December 3, 2017. Prosecutor Jayne Beckett said Low began talking to the imaginary Ben on a gay dating site for over 18s only. “Ben” told Low he was 14 and Low, replying as Tom aged 23, said he liked feet and made sexual suggestions. He then sent Ben a photo of his penis and they arranged to meet at Asda at 6pm on December 3, 2017. After Low was detained and the police were called, the paedophile hunter seized his phone because he began to delete messages from it. Mrs Beckett said a crowd of people that had gathered on the supermarket car park to watch the proceedings gave a cheer when the police arrived. She said of the defendant: “He has made a concerted effort to snare a youngster using the internet.” Low’s barrister, Christopher Styles, said he had been in custody since admitting the offence on January 30 this year. Low’s time in prison on remand had been very difficult. He had self-harmed and was on suicide watch. Judge Colin Burn sentenced Low to a two year community order. He must attend the Sex Offender Treatment Programme and complete a Rehabilitation Activity Requirement. Low was made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for five years and he must sign on the sex offender register for the same period. Judge Burn said that Low told his probation officer he had an interest in teenage boys, although no child had actually been harmed by his offending. He had been held in custody because “people felt the need to express themselves in an entirely inappropriate rather than in a way which is lawful.” The judge said the community order was a more constructive approach than the short custodial sentence the law would allow