Justice after 20 years as Rotherham man, 63, who picked girl up from school and raped her in hotels is jailed

Paul Richardson, aged 63, began grooming a schoolgirl when she was only 14.

He would send her love letters, presents and alcohol, and sometimes took her out on day trips.

Then in 2005, when the victim was 15, he took her to a cinema, before taking her to a hotel near Worksop, Nottinghamshire.

At the hotel, Richardson - then 42 - gave her wine to drink and raped her.

During a trial at Sheffield Crown Court in July, jurors heard how Richardson knew the girl had a chaotic home life, and worked to make her feel dependant upon him for stability so she would not report the abuse.

However, decades later and the victim - now in her 30s - spoke to National Crime Agency (NCA) investigators to share her story and ensure Richardson faced justice.

In 2022 she was contacted by officers from Operation Stovewood - the NCA’s enquiry into historic allegations of sexual abuse in Rotherham - as they believed she was a victim.

She told investigators how during the first incident in Worksop, she repeatedly told Richardson how she did not want him to kiss her.

Interviews also revealed that Richardson picked her up in his car – sometimes from school - and took her to places where she was then alone with him.

Whenever the victim told Richardson she did not want to have sex, he overpowered or manipulated her.

On one occasion, across a two-day period, he raped her twice at a house in Nottinghamshire.

During another he took her to a hotel in Rotherham and attempted to rape her, then later did.

The victim also provided officers with a phone Richardson had given her as a child to secretly contact her. Several messages were recovered from the device, many of which were sexual texts from Richardson to the girl.

He was charged in March 2024 and following last month’s trial was found guilty of four counts of rape and one count of attempted rape.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said that the victim’s testimony and evidence was vital for their case.

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.”

Today (August 21), Richardson, of Strauss Crescent, Maltby, was sentenced to 15 years.

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In addition to the jail sentence Richardson was also handed a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) and will also be required to sign the sex offenders register for life.

The NCA's Operation Stovewood remains the single biggest investigation of its kind, looking at allegations of abuse in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013. To date 47 people – including Richardson – have been convicted.

Following the sentencing today, NCA senior investigating officer Kath Blain 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.”