Paedophile police officer caught by undercover colleague jailed for one year

A paedophile school cop – who asked for pictures of a “pupil in her uniform” – has been sentenced to a year in prison.

Adam McManus was a front-line constable at Cumbernauld Police Station when he was caught by an undercover officer posing online as a 12-year-old schoolgirl.

He was told by a sheriff that jail was the only appropriate sentence for his acts.

Falkirk Sheriff Court was told that McManus, 40, had worked as a school campus police officer covering two high schools in Airdrie “for a number of years”.

Kik messages between Adam McManus and the decoy on January 9, 2025 Crown Office

He was caught after an investigation under Operation Overview, a covert police operation combating online child sexual abuse and exploitation.

Prosecutor Jennifer Barnier said: “The Operation Overview objectives are to identify and swiftly bring to justice offenders who pose a risk to children once all conventional police tactics have been exhausted.”

McManus contacted a police officer working as a decoy, who was posing on the Kik messaging app as a teenage girl named Chloe.

Kik messages between Adam McManus and the decoy on January 10, 2025 Crown Office

“During their initial communication on January 9, 2025 she said that she was a 12-year-old girl in her first year of high school in Airdrie,” the prosecutor said.

McManus asked about her school uniform and asked her to send photographs of her wearing it. She confirmed, during a second online communication, that she was in school at the time and he asked her if she liked short skirts and asked her to send him photographs.

Kik messages between Adam McManus and the decoy on February 14, 2025 Crown Office

In later online communications from his home in Larbert, Stirlingshire, he made references to her underwear, asked if she “teased her teacher with her skirt and legs”, asked her to send him pictures of her “sexy undies”, asked her about her sexual experiences, and posed a lewd question.

Ms Barnier said: “She reminded him she was 12 and he continued to ask about her sexual activity.”

Police raided his home and found evidence of the conversations on his phone.

Kik messages between Adam McManus and the decoy on January 30, 2025 Crown Office

They also found conversations with another paedophile – who used the name Ollie Oogler – about how they would abuse children.

They found 25 child porn videos – some of the most serious kind – together with still images of children posing sexually.

McManus, a married father-of-one, pled guilty to sexual communication with an undercover officer pretending to be a child, downloading child porn between; and indecent electronic communication with the other paedophile.

The court heard that he had resigned from the police since admitting his guilt.

Solicitor Pamela Rodgers, defending, said McManus had “taken steps to address” the cause of his offending.

She said he had been “significantly impacted” by what had happened.

She said: “He has lost his wife, his home, his career, his income, his temporary accommodation, and all contact with his son.”

Imposing the 12-month jail sentence, Sheriff Christopher Shead said: “Having considered the charges and in particular the nature and number of the offences, I have reached the conclusion that a custodial sentence is the only appropriate disposal.”

McManus hung his head in court as he was led down the stairs from the dock to the cells.