A 15-year-old girl managed to help ensnare a convicted murderer who kidnapped and sexually assaulted her by pulling out strands of her own hair to leave crucial DNA evidence.

Paul Sharpe, 56, was handed a second life sentence by a judge who labelled him "every parent’s worst nightmare".

Sharpe grabbed his victim in a chokehold and bundled her into his vehicle in Altrincham, Greater Manchester, during the early evening of 18 May, Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court heard on Friday.

Terrified she would be raped and murdered, the teenager displayed "an astonishing presence of mind" by plucking out her hair to provide physical proof she had been inside the car.

The teenager was walking home when she entered the "cruel orbit" of Sharpe, who had "cruised the streets" searching for a young victim to abduct, the court heard.

She was held hostage inside his vehicle for eight and a half hours before police successfully rescued her the following day.

Sharpe, from Portswood in Stockport, was previously jailed for life in 2001 over the murder of a former partner whom he strangled in October 2000.

After serving a minimum term of 11 years, he had been released on licence in April 2013.

Months before the abduction, Sharpe used his mobile phone to record acts of apparent reconnaissance while he drove, said prosecutor Alaric Bassano.

In one such recording, a male voice declared “the abduction point would be here”, the court heard, while Sharpe went on to search on his phone for locations of secondary schools.

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, said Mr Bassano, and she obliged “in the hope that by giving herself a personality the defendant would be less likely to harm her”.

Mr Bassano said: “It was impressive reasoning for a young person in her circumstances but an early indication of the fear which she harboured.”

Sharpe bound her wrists and ankles with neck ties as he drove to various secluded car parks.

He removed her socks and began touching and smelling her feet before he retrieved a pair of brand new high heel shoes from his boot and put them on her along with some stockings.

Sharpe also masturbated as he touched her feet.

The defendant made numerous attempts to force her to drink a “yellowy liquid” which she, at times, pretended to consume, the court was told.

Mr Bassano 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.

“She placed her nasal mucus on various parts of the car interior as well as pulling out and leaving behind strands of her hair.”

Police were first alerted when a dog walker reported hearing a young female crying in a church car park in Knutsford and an older male stating “take a drink”.

The vehicle had gone by the time officers arrived but was later traced to a hotel car park in Knutsford, where the teenager emerged “visibly shaken” and “shocked”, and Sharpe was arrested.

The defendant 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.

“You cruised the streets in your car with the clear purpose of finding a female school child to abduct in order to fulfil your particular sexual fantasies.

“What is remarkable about this case is not merely the nature of your conduct but the courage of your victim. Faced with such dreadful circumstances she showed astonishing presence of mind as she deliberately left traces of DNA in your car.

“Simply put, the reason she did this was because she thought she was going to be raped and murdered by you.

“Few adults would have displayed such presence of mind and it is impossible not to be impressed by her bravery.

“(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.”

He was ordered to serve a minimum of eight years in jail before he can be considered for release by the Parole Board.

In her victim personal statement, the teenager said she suffers from panic, anxiety, sleeplessness and nightmares following “the worst eight hours of my life”.

Sharpe’s foot fetish was also apparent from examination of his mobile phone which contained recordings of legs of women sitting at desks and internet searches for “schoolgirl feet”, the court was told

He also viewed pornographic material with search terms such as “sleepy teen in white socks” and “full control of teen bodies in white socks”.

Sharpe had fantasies about having sex with someone who is unconscious and an interest in sexual kidnap with search terms such as “Asian girls strangled and kidnapped”, “jogger kidnapped” and “strangle school girl limp play”.

On his phone there were also message threads using the Telegram app with one relating to an “abduction” broadcast channel which appeared to show an adult male waiting on a street corner in darkness before accosting an adult female.

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.”