Paul Sharpe held his victim hostage for eight hours before they were found by police in a hotel car park
13:36, 04 Sep 2026Updated 15:03, 04 Sep 2026
Paul Sharpe, 56, from Stockport(Image: GMP)
A convicted murderer who kidnapped a girl at knifepoint before sexually assaulting her has been jailed for life. Paul Sharpe held his 15-year-old victim hostage during a grim eight-hour ordeal, as he drove from one car park to another.
The 56-year-old put the girl in a headlock and bundled her into his car on Bradgate Road, in Altrincham, at around 7.30pm on May 18 – claiming that her father owed him money. He drove to a car park at Manchester Airport and tied up her ankles and wrists with a neck tie.
That night, he drove to different car parks in Greater Manchester and Cheshire, and plied the girl with alcohol while sexually assaulting her. At one point, former radio DJ Sharpe masturbated while touching the girl’s feet, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.
Click here to hear the latest from Manchester’s courts in our newsletter
He was finally caught by police in a hotel car park in Knutsford at around 3.40am on May 19. The girl had been reported as missing by her mother, while CCTV allowed officers to identify Sharpe’s car, according to the CPS.
Greater Manchester Police says the girl had been studying at Sale Library on May 18 before beginning her journey home with friends at around 5:50pm. At 6:10pm, she contacted her parents to let them know she was on her way home.
Twenty minutes later, she spoke to her boyfriend on the phone and said her phone battery was about to die. That was the time the girl’s loved ones heard from her that evening.
As she walked along Bradgate Road, the victim noticed a grey Ford Focus parked nearby and a man wearing a high-visibility jacket pressing doorbells in the area. As she walked past, Sharpe approached her from behind, placed her in a headlock and threatened to stab her if she did not get into his vehicle.
The victim was kidnapped on Bradgate Road in Altrincham(Image: Jason Roberts /Manchester Evening News)
Feeling a knife pressed against her and fearing for her life, she got into the back of the car. She was reported missing to police at 9.22pm. Sharpe had also been reported missing to police by his partner earlier in the day.
During the ordeal, he forced her to change clothing and later made threats to her while claiming that police would be searching for them, GMP says. The victim had an iPad in her bag with the Find My feature enabled, allowing her boyfriend to provide officers with location information.
At 12:09am, the device showed a location on Rostherne Lane in Knutsford. When officers arrived in the area, a member of the public reported seeing a light-coloured vehicle parked near a cemetery and hearing what sounded like a distressed female nearby.
Officers carried out extensive CCTV and ANPR enquiries, identifying a light-coloured Ford Focus which had been in the area at the relevant time, which was registered to Sharpe. Enquiries also showed both Sharpe’s and the victim’s phones travelling in the same areas.
Sharpe later drove the victim to a farm and sexually assaulted her, before driving near to Cottons Hotel in Knutsford. At around 3:40am, Cheshire Police officers found Sharpe’s vehicle in a hotel car park.
During his police interview, Sharpe said he ‘had been feeling bad and so he kidnapped the girl thinking it would be easier than kidnapping an adult’. He claimed he wasn’t thinking clearly, that his intention was to release her when it was light before taking his own life, and that his motives weren’t sexual but he was ‘aroused by smelling her feet’, the CPS said.
Sharpe, from Stockport, admitted a string of offences at Minshull Street Crown Court in July, including kidnap and sexual assault. He returned to court today (September 4), where he was jailed for life with an eight-year minimum term
.
Minshull Street Crown Court(Image: MEN Media)
Hannah Gee, Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West, said: “Just over three months after kidnapping and sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl, convicted murderer Paul Sharpe begins his life prison sentence today. Sharpe subjected his victim to a terrifying ordeal, abducting her at knifepoint and holding her captive for eight hours, during which time he forced her to consume alcohol before sexually assaulting her.
“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.”
Sharpe, of Yates Street, Portwood, was today jailed for 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 thing with intent to injure, aggrieve or annoy.
Detective Inspector Karl Perry, from GMP’s Criminal Investigation Department, said: “This was a terrifying ordeal for a young girl who was simply making her way home. Sharpe targeted a vulnerable victim, subjected her to hours of fear and intimidation, and went on to sexually assault her.
“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.
“The victim and her family are being fully supported by specialist officers and will continue to receive as much support as they need. I hope today’s sentence provides her with some measure of justice and demonstrates our commitment to pursuing dangerous offenders and bringing them before the courts. I would also like to thank the officers, staff and members of the public whose assistance helped us quickly trace Sharpe and safely recover the victim.”
Sharpe was previously convicted of murdering a Bolton woman in 2000 who he had struck up a relationship with, after she had listened to him present a show on Tower FM, under the alias Paul Shaw. He was jailed for life after fatally strangling the 28-year-old beauty therapy student, after she had threatened to break up with him.