Paul Blackshaw: Rapist jailed for attacking 15-year-old girl in Barnsley field as she walked home

A rapist who attacked a 15 year-old girl as she made her way home from a night out with friends has been jailed.

Paul Blackshaw, aged 43 and previously of Oak Close, Barnsley, was jailed for eight-and-a-half years after being found guilty of rape following a trial at Sheffield Crown Court.

He targeted his young victim in Hoyland on September 18, 2021.

At around 10pm, Blackshaw followed the girl as she walked along Wentworth Road and raped her in a nearby field.

South Yorkshire Police said: "Following his horrendous act, (he) left her there, upset, frightened and alone."

After his arrest, Blackshaw denied raping the girl and had "no reasonable rationale" for how his DNA had got onto the girl’s clothing, the force said.

Blackshaw has been aadded to the sex offenders' register for life.