'Every parent’s worst nightmare': Paedophile who kidnapped and raped 11-year-old girl walking home jailed

A judge described Paul Ripley as 'the living embodiment of every parent’s worst nightmare'

Paul Ripley, who was jailed for kidnapping and raping an 11-year-old girl (Cheshire Police)

A paedophile who snatched an 11-year-old girl from the street and raped her in a field has been jailed for 16 years.

A judge described Paul Ripley as “the living embodiment of every parent’s worst nightmare” while sentencing him at Chester Crown Court on Friday.

His victim was walking home from a friend’s house in Ellesmere Port at around 7pm on 7 November last year, when Ripley pulled up in his car.

A witness heard a scream as he bundled her into the passenger seat and sped off, driving hundreds of miles north as her frantic parents searched the streets and called police.

The victim was snatched as she walked home in Ellesmere Port (Getty Images)

He eventually stopped in a field, where he raped the girl twice before wrapping duct tape over her mouth and eyes and abandoning her in a village near Darlington, County Durham, in the early hours of the morning.

The court heard that she managed to flag a passing taxi down, telling the driver: “I've been raped in a car and I don't know where I am.”

Ripley, 53, was tracked down by police a short time later, at 3.40am, as he travelled down the M6 in Lancashire.

He smashed into a police car at speed and crashed into barriers on both sides of the motorway before telling officers: ”It doesn't matter, I've done it all.”

Ripley, of no fixed abode, admitted two counts of raping a female under 13, kidnap and dangerous driving.

Judge Nicholas Woodward gave him an extended sentence on licence, meaning he will serve between 10 and 16 years in jail before parole depending on an assessment and be on licence under supervision for 24 years in all.

Paul Ripley, who was jailed for kidnapping and raping an 11-year-old girl (Cheshire Police)

Ripley, originally from the Darlington area but living in Ellesmere Port at the time, showed no emotion as he was sentenced.

"This must have been a harrowing ordeal where you specifically targeted a vulnerable child for your own sexual gratification,” Judge Woodward said.

"Children's freedom in modern society is affected by the concern caused by people like you.

"You are a very dangerous man, that is to say you present a significant risk to members of the public.

"In short, you are the living embodiment of every parent's worst nightmare."

The girl’s mother had spoken of her pain imagining her daughter’s “confusion, panic and fear” to the court.

"I can't and never will understand what drives a human being to do what he did,” she said.

"The thought is disgusting, it makes my skin crawl.”

In a statement released after the verdict, the family said their lives had been changed forever.

"Words cannot properly describe what our whole family went through that night,” it continued.

"Paul Ripley has admitted his guilt and today has been sentenced accordingly, though this can never undo the damage he has inflicted on our family.

"Our daughter will have to live with what this man subjected her to that night forever. He has shown no remorse for his actions, and we can only hope he comes to terms with what he’s done while he’s behind bars.”

Detective Inspector Steve Jones, who led the investigation for Cheshire Constabulary, said it was one of the most appalling cases he had ever seen.

"I’d like to pay tribute to the bravery of the victim and the dedication of the officers and staff involved who have worked together to secure today’s result,” he added.

"I hope that, for the sake of the victim and her family, the sentence will allow them to move forward with their lives.”

Det Insp Jones said the investigation suggests the rape was Ripley’s first sexual offence but that police would like anyone with information to the contrary to contact them by calling 101.

Additional reporting by PA