Paul Sharpe, a 56-year-old convicted murderer from Portwood, Stockport, has pleaded guilty to a series of offenses after subjecting a 15-year-old girl to an eight-hour ordeal in which he kidnapped her at knifepoint and sexually assaulted her. The case was heard at Minshull Street Crown Court on July 3, 2026.
Details of the Abduction and Ordeal
The incident began around 7:30 p.m. on May 18, 2026, when Sharpe approached the girl on Bradgate Road in Altrincham. According to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), he threatened her with a knife, put her in a headlock, and forced her into his car. Claiming her father owed him money, he drove her to an airport car park, where he tied her wrists and ankles with a necktie.
Over the next eight hours, Sharpe moved between different car parks, forcing the girl to consume alcohol, sexually assaulting her, and masturbating while touching her feet. The ordeal ended when police apprehended Sharpe in a hotel car park in Knutsford in the early hours of May 19. The girl had been reported missing by her mother, and extensive CCTV analysis allowed detectives to track Sharpe's vehicle.
Guilty Pleas and CPS Statement
Sharpe admitted to six offenses: kidnapping, sexual assault, engaging in sexual activity in front of a child, making threats with a knife, committing an offense with intent to commit a sexual offense, and administering a noxious substance with intent to injure, aggrieve, or annoy. In an interview, Sharpe claimed he kidnapped the girl because he was feeling bad and thought it would be easier than kidnapping an adult. He stated he intended to release her at daylight and then end his own life, insisting his motives were not sexual but admitting arousal from smelling her feet.
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."
Sentencing Scheduled
Sharpe is set to be sentenced at Minshull Street Crown Court on September 4, 2026.
