Paul Sharpe sentenced to life for kidnapping and assaulting teenager

Paul Sharpe, 56, has been handed a second life sentence at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court for the kidnapping and sexual assault of a 15-year-old girl. The incident occurred in Altrincham, Greater Manchester, when Sharpe abducted the teenager after threatening her with a knife.

During the eight-and-a-half-hour ordeal, the victim displayed what the judge described as “remarkable” courage and “astonishing presence of mind.” Fearing for her life, she intentionally plucked strands of her own hair and placed them inside Sharpe’s vehicle to ensure DNA evidence could be recovered.

Police located the victim and Sharpe in a hotel car park in Knutsford, Cheshire, the following morning, aided by the “Find My” app on the girl’s iPad. Sharpe, who was previously serving a life sentence for the 2000 murder of a former partner, had been released on licence in 2013. Prosecutors noted that Sharpe had conducted reconnaissance prior to the abduction, including recording locations for the crime.