A convicted murderer has pleaded guilty to kidnapping a 15-year-old girl at knifepoint and subjecting her to an eight-hour ordeal in his car.
Paul Sharpe, 56, of Portwood, Stockport, entered guilty pleas at Minshull Street Crown Court on Thursday to six offences: kidnapping, sexual assault, engaging in 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 substance with intent.
Sharpe approached the girl on Bradgate Road in Altrincham at around 7.30pm on May 18, threatened her with a knife, put her in a headlock and forced her into his car. He told her that her father owed him money.
He drove her to a car park near Manchester Airport, where he tied her wrists and ankles with a necktie. Over the following hours he moved between different car parks, forcing her to drink alcohol and sexually assaulting her.
The girl’s mother reported her missing, prompting a major police investigation. Extensive CCTV enquiries identified Sharpe’s vehicle, and he was arrested in a hotel car park in Knutsford at around 3.40am the following morning with the girl still in the car.
In interview, Sharpe claimed he had not been thinking clearly and said he had intended to release the girl when it got light. He denied sexual motivation but admitted being aroused during parts of the incident.
Hannah Gee, senior prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, 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 will be sentenced at Minshull Street Crown Court on September 4, 2026.
