Sex predator sentenced to 15 years for grooming and raping schoolgirl in Rotherham

A 63-year-old man who groomed and raped a schoolgirl in the child sex shame town of Rotherham has been sentenced to 15 years behind bars. Paul Richardson plied his 14-year-old victim with special attention and gained her trust by sending her notes and letters. The victim was particularly vulnerable at the time as a result of problems she was encountering at home and Richardson would pick her up in his car and take her to hotels in Bassetlaw and Rotherham, as well as a house in Nottinghamshire, where he overpowered and manipulated her when she attempted to refuse his advances. The victim recalled telling him she did not want him to kiss or touch her, but he ignored her pleas and raped her.

At the time of his attacks in 2005 the girl was aged 14 and Richardson was 42. After the "industrial scale of abuse by grooming gangs in the South Yorkshire town was uncovered the woman contacted police to report the abuse she had suffered. The Crown Prosecution Service's dedicated Organised Child Sexual Abuse Unit prosecuted Paul Richardson, 63, following an investigation by the National Crime Agency's Operation Stovewood into historic sexual abuse.

Richardson denied his crimes but was found guilty of four counts of rape and one count of attempted rape following a trial at Sheffield Crown Court.

The jury were shown key evidence from a phone Richardson had given the victim as a child, which contained sexual text messages he had sent her -prompting the jury to find him unanimously guilty.

Martin McRobb, Specialist Prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "Paul Richardson deliberately exploited the difficult circumstances the victim was going through by creating a dependency that allowed him to manipulate and abuse her over several months.

"He sought to gain her trust by giving her gifts and attention, but his sole motivation was sexual. He drove her to hotels and to an unoccupied address where, during overnights stays, he forced himself on her and raped her.

"The victim in this case has shown remarkable courage in coming forward and giving evidence about these traumatic experiences. Her testimony, combined with the digital evidence she preserved, enabled us to build a strong case that demonstrated Richardson's guilt to a jury.

"No child should endure what this victim suffered. The Crown Prosecution Service remains committed to working closely with law enforcement partners to bring perpetrators of child sexual abuse to justice - no matter how much time has passed."

To deal with the most complex and challenging child sexual abuse cases like this, the CPS has established a dedicated national Organised Child Sexual Abuse Unit where Specialist Prosecutors use their expertise and experience to build strong cases and increase the number of successful prosecutions.

Kath Blain, National Crime Agency senior investigating officer, said: "Our investigation found that Paul Richardson groomed and raped a vulnerable young girl, who saw him as a father figure. Richardson exploited the girl's trust in him and manipulated her fear of being alone in order to control and sexually abuse her.

"I want to pay tribute to the bravery of the victim who has shown enormous strength in testifying against her attacker.

"While nothing can erase the trauma she has suffered, I hope that the outcome today brings her some measure of closure, that Richardson will spend years in prison for what he did to her.

"I encourage anyone who was sexually abused as a child to report it to police in person or by calling 101, who have officers specially trained to investigate such cases, regardless of how long ago the crime occurred."

The shocking scale of the Rotherham scandal was finally exposed in a report by Professor Alexis Jay in 2014, which revealed how horrific rape attacks, threats, violence, child pregnancies, miscarriages and abortions were rife in the South Yorkshire town.

Rotherham's entire Labour-run council executive resigned, as did its director of child services and the police and crime commissioner for South Yorkshire police.

A 2015 government report by Louise Casey into Rotherham Council found that bullying and intimidation by council staff led to a silencing of whistleblowers and deemed the authority "not fit for purpose".

The National Crime Agency's ongoing Operation Stovewood investigation - the biggest investigation into child abuse - has so far identified more than 1,510 victims and over 300 suspects.

The operation, which has already cost £100million, has resulted in over 200 arrests and 33 convictions as it probes child sexual abuse and exploitation in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013.