A convicted murderer has been sentenced to life imprisonment after kidnapping a 15-year-old girl at knifepoint and subjecting her to an eight-hour ordeal across Greater Manchester and Cheshire.
Paul Sharpe, 56, abducted the teenager on Bradgate Road in Altrincham at around 7.30pm on May 18. Prosecutors said he forced the girl into his car while claiming that her father owed him money before driving her to Manchester Airport, where he restrained her wrists and ankles.
Admissions and sentencing
Sharpe, of Yates Street, Portwood, Stockport, admitted a number of offences at Minshull Street Crown Court in July, including kidnap and sexual assault. Returning to court on September 4, he was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of eight years.
The court heard that during police interviews Sharpe claimed he had kidnapped the teenager because he believed it would be easier than targeting an adult. He also said he had intended to release her before taking his own life, although prosecutors described his actions as a deliberate and serious criminal attack.
Prosecution response
Hannah Gee, Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West, said Sharpe had subjected the girl to a "terrifying ordeal" and praised the victim and her family for their support throughout the case.
She 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."
Previous conviction
Sharpe was convicted of kidnapping, committing an offence with intent to commit a sexual offence, sexual assault, engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, threatening another with a bladed article, and administering a noxious substance with intent to injure, aggrieve or annoy.
His latest conviction comes more than two decades after he was jailed for life for the murder of a 28-year-old beauty therapy student in Bolton in 2000. Sharpe, who had worked as a radio presenter under the alias Paul Shaw, was found guilty of fatally strangling the woman after she threatened to end their relationship.
