A 15-year-old girl ripped out strands of her own hair to leave behind the DNA that helped catch the convicted murderer who snatched her off the street and sexually assaulted her.
Paul Sharpe, 56, was described by a judge as ‘every parent’s worst nightmare’ when he was handed a second life sentence for the harrowing attack.
After ‘cruising the streets’ looking for a victim to abuse, he put the young girl in a chokehold and bundled her into his car in Altrincham, Greater Manchester, on the evening of May 18.
He kept her bound and locked inside for the following eight and a half hours, during which time he drove to several secluded car parks and subjected her to repeated assaults.
Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court heard Sharpe was jailed for life in 2001 for the murder of an ex-partner he strangled in October 2000.
He was ordered to serve a minimum term of 11 years and was released on licence in April 2013.
Sharpe initially sought to ‘fob off’ his teenage victim with a fictitious story that he had been asked to take her as her father owed someone money.
He asked her lots of questions about herself in an apparent attempt to calm her down, and she obliged ‘in the hope that by giving herself a personality the defendant would be less likely to harm her’.
Alaric Bassano, prosecuting, told the court: ‘It was impressive reasoning for a young person in her circumstances but an early indication of the fear which she harboured.’
He said: ‘During her imprisonment (the victim) feared that she was going to die, a fear which prompted her to deliberately deposit her DNA in the car to assist police in any subsequent murder investigation.
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‘She placed her nasal mucus on various parts of the car interior as well as pulling out and leaving behind strands of her hair.’
In her victim personal statement, the teenager said she suffers from panic, anxiety, sleeplessness and nightmares following ‘the worst eight hours of my life’.
Judge Mark Savill hailed the girl’s courage and presence of mind under such ‘dreadful circumstances’.
‘Simply put, the reason she did this was because she thought she was going to be raped and murdered by you,’ he said.
‘Few adults would have displayed such presence of mind and it is impossible not to be impressed by her bravery.’
Sharpe told detectives he had not planned the kidnap and was ‘overwhelmed because he had no electricity at home’, was on the verge of receiving a driving ban and had resigned from his job.
He added he wanted to talk to a stranger before he killed himself.
Sharpe pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to various offences including kidnap, kidnap with intent to commit a sexual offence and sexual assault.
Sentencing, Judge Mark Savill told him: ‘The facts of this case are chilling. To describe (the victim’s) experience at your hands as an appalling ordeal would be wholly inadequate.
‘(The victim) is a giant. You are anything but. You, Paul Sharpe, are every parent’s worst nightmare.
‘I have no hesitation in concluding you are a very dangerous offender. You carefully planned to specifically target a child in order to fulfil sinister and entrenched sexual preferences – years after apparent compliance.
‘You cannot control yourself and your urges whether they be sexual or homicidal.’
Following sentence, Hannah Gee, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: ‘This was a harrowing experience for the victim and her family.
‘I hope that with Sharpe now back behind bars, they can begin to move forward, knowing that their courage and support throughout the prosecution have helped ensure that this dangerous offender has been removed from our streets.’
Det Insp Karl Perry, of Greater Manchester Police, said: ‘The victim has shown immense courage throughout the investigation and court proceedings.
‘Through her bravery and actions, she no doubt made it harder for Sharpe to carry out whatever acts he had planned.’
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