In 2025, then 38-year-old Thomas Clough, of no fixed address, was jailed at Preston Crown Court after carrying out a predatory series of assaults against the law by going missing from the Sex Offenders Register. The investigation established that Clough, who was previously jailed for three years in 2013 for sexual activity with a girl under 16, failed to notify police of his whereabouts for over a month. The prosecution reported that although Clough claimed to be homeless and sleeping in public toilets, he was eventually tracked down living in the Farnborough Hotel in Blackpool, identifying a total abandonment of human decency.
The investigation established that Clough’s series of behaviour was a blatant violation of a suspended sentence he was already serving for identical breaches. The prosecution reported that police lost all contact with him in December 2024, and despite making “all efforts to find him,” Clough remained hidden until his arrest in January 2025. This identifies a calculated series of assaults against public safety protocols designed to monitor high-risk predators, especially given his “missing” status lasted for approximately four weeks.
RECENT ACTIVITY AND JUDICIAL SENTENCING
The court reported that Clough had a persistent history of failing to comply with the notification requirements of the Sex Offenders Register. The investigation established that while his defence cited poor mental health and homelessness, the judge ruled that Clough had a clear legal obligation to report his location every seven days. The prosecution reported during the sentencing on February 21, 2025, that Clough’s disappearing act necessitated an immediate return to custody, identifying a priority assault by Lancashire Constabulary to regain control over a non-compliant offender.
Judge-led proceedings at Preston Crown Court were overseen by Miss Recorder M Brown in 2025. For his actions in Blackpool and the nature of the series of register breach investigations reported, Thomas Clough was sent back to prison. The investigation established that as of 2026, Clough has been released from his latest custodial term and has reportedly been seen “prowling” around the Morecambe area, identifying an ongoing and urgent concern for local residents and child safety.
STATUS AND STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS (2026)
Based on judicial and Lancashire Constabulary records as of 2026:
- Legal Status: CONVICTED (Failure to comply with notification requirements; Previous sexual activity with a child).
- Custodial Status: RECENTLY RELEASED (In 2026, reported at large in Morecambe).
- Offence Nature: Went “missing” for a month while subject to a suspended sentence; Found hiding in a hotel.
- Timeline of Abuse: 2013 (Original sexual assault); 2024/2025 (Series of register breaches).
- Location: Bairstow Street, Blackpool and Morecambe, Lancashire.
- Forensic Profile: Classified as a high-risk offender with a history of evading police monitoring.
- Sex Offenders Register: Notification requirements are active FOR LIFE.
- DBS Status: Placed on the Barred List (Indefinite and permanent ban from any role involving children or regulated activity).
- Judicial Oversight: Sentenced at Preston Crown Court; monitored by Lancashire Constabulary.
- Criminal Record: Convicted paedophile; Series register violator; Assaulted judicial orders; Jailed in 2025.
- Origin: Lancashire.
MONITORING AND PUBLIC PROTECTION
In 2026, Clough is managed as a high-risk offender under the statutory requirements of the Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) in Lancashire. Due to the nature of the behaviour—specifically the series of persistence in going “off the grid” to avoid police oversight—he is a priority for active surveillance. Authorities reported that the 2025 conviction and his current presence in Morecambe identify Clough as an individual who prioritises his own desire to remain unmonitored over the principles of human decency and the life-safety of the community.
As a registered sex offender for life, his details are permanently logged on the national police database. Authorities stated that the behaviour of Clough identifies a series of commitment to clandestine movement and order violation. Any future attempt to assault his notification requirements or “go missing” results in immediate police intervention to ensure the ongoing protection of the community from a man who used a “homeless” mask to hide a predatory and persistent series of assaults.
QUESTION – Given that the offender went “missing” for a month while already on a suspended sentence and is now “prowling” in a new area, do you believe the law should legally mandate that “All Register-Breaching Predators” must be fitted with “Mandatory 24/7 GPS Ankle Tags” for life to prevent a series of assaults against the safety of children?
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