Convicted murderer Paul Sharpe, 56, pleaded guilty on July 3, 2026, to kidnapping a 15-year-old girl at knifepoint and holding her captive for eight hours in a terrifying ordeal that involved binding, sexual assault, and forced alcohol consumption.
Details of the Kidnapping
The incident began at approximately 7:30 PM on May 18, 2026, on Bradgate Road in Altrincham. Sharpe threatened the girl with a knife, placed her in a headlock, and forced her into his car. Claiming that her father owed him money, he drove to a car park at the airport, where he tied her wrists and ankles with a necktie.
Over the next eight hours, Sharpe drove around various car parks. He bound the victim's hands and feet, forced her to drink alcohol, sexually assaulted her, and performed a sex act upon himself while touching her feet. The girl was reported missing by her mother, leading to extensive CCTV enquiries that enabled detectives to identify Sharpe's vehicle.
Arrest and Charges
The ordeal ended when police arrested Sharpe in a hotel car park in Knutsford, Cheshire, in the early hours of May 19. At Minshull Street Crown Court on July 3, he pleaded guilty to six offences: kidnapping, sexual assault, sexual activity in the presence of a child, making threats with a bladed article, committing an offence with intent to commit a sexual offence, and administering a noxious thing with intent to injure, aggrieve, or annoy.
According to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), Sharpe claimed in interview that he had been feeling bad and kidnapped the girl because he thought it would be easier than kidnapping an adult. He stated he wasn't thinking clearly and intended to release her when it was light, then end his own life. He denied sexual motives but admitted being aroused by smelling her feet.
Prosecutor's Statement
Senior prosecutor Hannah Gee of the CPS said: "Paul Sharpe, a convicted murderer, kidnapped an innocent girl at knifepoint in broad daylight. In this terrifying incident, the victim was held captive for eight hours while Sharpe forced her to drink alcohol and sexually assaulted her. Sharpe gave no thought to the impact his actions, for his own depraved reasons, would have on his victim. Although his guilty pleas today have spared her from the ordeal of a trial, I would like to thank the girl, and her family, for supporting this prosecution and ensuring this dangerous offender is back where he belongs."
Sharpe, from Portwood, Stockport, is scheduled to be sentenced at Minshull Street Crown Court on September 4, 2026.
