'Every parent's worst nightmare' locked up for attempted abduction of 10-year-old girl

A devious sex offender branded “every parent’s worst nightmare” is starting an extended 14-year sentence today.

Paul Whitfield, 43, tried to lure a 10-year-old girl into his car in Billingham, claiming the police were looking for her.

Hours earlier, he had approached a nine-year-old girl in Stockton for his perverted sexual motives, Teesside Crown Court heard.

Fortunately both children ran away and told their grandmothers on September 7 last year.

Whitfield was caught after the first girl’s gran took down his registration number.

The court was told how the attempted abduction affected the girl and her family, leaving her too scared to walk to school or go out alone.

An examination of his phone revealed he had indecent images of children and had groomed an underage girl with explicit online conversations and photographs over social media, offering her inducements to meet him for sex.

Sentencing this afternoon, Judge Michael Taylor said Whitfield took away the girls’ innocence.

He said: “I’m quite satisfied that you had a motive to find and to lure young children to come under your control because of your interest in sexual activity with young children.

“I’m quite satisfied that you are a devious, determined and manipulative individual who poses a grave danger to young children.

“As a result of that I intend to lock you up for as long as I think I can get away with.”

He said Whitfield, of Fordwell Road, Fairfield, showed no remorse or concern for his crimes.

He passed the extended 14-year sentence - a nine-year jail term plus an additional five-year licence period.

Whitfield admitted 10 offences - attempted child abduction, causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming, possessing indecent images of children, and charges of breaching a sexual offences prevention order and failing to comply with sex offender notification requirements.

At the time of his offending, he was under a community order for 16 offences relating to indecent photographs of children.