A 63-year-old man who groomed and repeatedly raped a vulnerable schoolgirl in Rotherham has been sentenced to 15 years in prison, as part of the ongoing Operation Stovewood investigation into historic child sexual abuse in the scandal-hit South Yorkshire town.
Paul Richardson targeted his 14-year-old victim with special attention, sending her notes and letters to gain her trust before subjecting her to a campaign of sexual abuse in hotels across Rotherham, Bassetlaw and Nottinghamshire. The court heard how Richardson, who was 42 at the time of the offences in 2005, exploited the girl’s vulnerability and manipulated her fear of being alone.
The victim, now in her 30s, bravely testified how she had repeatedly told Richardson she did not want him to kiss or touch her, but he ignored her pleas and raped her on multiple occasions. She had seen him as a father figure during a particularly difficult period at home, making his betrayal all the more devastating.
Richardson was found guilty of four counts of rape and one count of attempted rape following a trial at Sheffield Crown Court. The jury was shown crucial digital evidence from a phone Richardson had given his victim as a child, which contained sexual text messages he had sent her, leading to a unanimous guilty verdict.
Martin McRobb, Specialist Prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service’s dedicated Organised Child Sexual Abuse Unit, said Richardson had deliberately exploited the difficult circumstances his victim was experiencing. “He sought to gain her trust by giving her gifts and attention, but his sole motivation was sexual,” McRobb said. “He drove her to hotels and to an unoccupied address where, during overnight stays, he forced himself on her and raped her.”
The case forms part of Operation Stovewood, the National Crime Agency’s unprecedented investigation into non-familial child sexual abuse in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013. To date, the operation has identified around 1,150 potential victims and secured 47 convictions, with those sentenced receiving a combined total of approximately 470 years in prison.
Kath Blain, NCA senior investigating officer, paid tribute to the victim’s courage: “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.”
The victim contacted police after the industrial scale of abuse by grooming gangs in Rotherham was exposed, demonstrating remarkable bravery in coming forward years after her ordeal. Her testimony, combined with the digital evidence she had preserved, enabled prosecutors to build a compelling case against Richardson despite his denials.
The shocking scale of child sexual exploitation in Rotherham was first brought to national attention by Professor Alexis Jay’s damning 2014 report, which revealed that at least 1,400 children as young as 11 had been subjected to extreme threats, violence, rape and trafficking between 1997 and 2013.
The Jay Report exposed catastrophic failures by Rotherham Council, South Yorkshire Police and other agencies who had ignored or suppressed evidence of abuse for years. Care home managers had first raised concerns in the early 1990s about children being picked up by taxi drivers, but authorities failed to act on multiple reports naming alleged perpetrators.
The scandal led to mass resignations, with Rotherham’s entire Labour-run council executive stepping down, alongside the director of children’s services and South Yorkshire’s police and crime commissioner. The town’s reputation was left in tatters as details emerged of how officials had prioritised avoiding accusations of racism over protecting vulnerable children.
A subsequent 2015 government inspection by Louise Casey found Rotherham Council was “not fit for purpose”, with a culture of bullying and intimidation that silenced whistleblowers. Casey’s report painted a damning picture of institutional failure, leading to government commissioners being brought in to run the authority.
Operation Stovewood was established in December 2014 following a request from South Yorkshire Police’s Chief Constable for the NCA to lead an independent investigation. With more than 100 officers working on the inquiry, it remains the single largest law enforcement investigation into non-familial child sexual exploitation in UK history.
Recent analysis has revealed that of the 323 suspects identified and 42 individuals convicted through Operation Stovewood, nearly two-thirds were of Pakistani ethnic background. The 2025 report noted that the ethnicity of perpetrators had been “shied away from” and subject to “obfuscation” in earlier investigations.
Richardson’s conviction demonstrates that Operation Stovewood continues to pursue justice for victims regardless of the perpetrator’s background. The investigation prioritises those who may still be active and those who caused the most harm, while working to rebuild public confidence in agencies that catastrophically failed victims in the past.
McRobb emphasised the CPS’s commitment to pursuing historic cases: “The victim in this case has shown remarkable courage in coming forward and giving evidence about these traumatic experiences. 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.”
Richardson’s case highlights a pattern of grooming behaviour seen throughout the Rotherham scandal. Perpetrators typically targeted vulnerable girls, often from care homes or troubled backgrounds, plying them with gifts, alcohol and drugs before subjecting them to horrific abuse. Many victims were threatened with violence or abandonment if they refused to comply.
The NCA continues to encourage anyone who was sexually abused as a child to report it to police, who have specially trained officers to investigate such cases regardless of when the crimes occurred. Reports can be made in person or by calling 101.
Blain added: “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.
Richardson received an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and Restraining Order alongside his 15-year prison sentence. The case serves as a stark reminder that those who exploited Rotherham’s most vulnerable children continue to face justice, even decades after their crimes.
As Operation Stovewood moves into its next phase, with criminal cases expected to continue until 2027, the investigation remains focused on delivering justice for victims who were failed so catastrophically by those meant to protect them. The operation stands as both a pursuit of justice and a memorial to institutional failure on an unprecedented scale.
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