'You may never be released': Former model and serial sex offender from Leeds given life sentence for brutal rape of schoolgirl

Serial sex offender Paul Waites used his good looks and charm to prey upon underage girls during a 'campaign of rape and sexual abuse' during the mid-2000s.

Waites, now 48, was handed the life sentence after being found guilty of raping the 15-year-old victim in 2005 after a trial at Leeds Crown Court.

It is the third time the former teacher has been convicted of serious sex offences.

A judge who sentenced Waites on Friday (December 18) said it is possible he may never be released from prison due to the serious danger he poses to young girls.

Judge Tom Bayliss QC told Waites he regarded him as a "highly dangerous man" after watching the defendant give evidence at the trial.

The judge said: "You showed an alarming lack of insight. You said in evidence that you were not sexually attracted to young girls.

"Nothing could be further from the truth.

"You were, Mr Waites, a highly manipulative and predatory paedophile."

Jurors heard Waites was in his early 30s when he committed the offence.

Waites, of Broad Lane, Bramley, managed to gain the trust of one girl after telling her he was a model and used her to get access to her friends.

The victim was one of the girl's friends.

She described how Waites at first came across as "really nice, genuine, lovely, thoughtful, caring and romantic."

They exchanging messages online for months before arranging to meet.

Waites picked the girl up outside her school and drove her to his flat in Leeds where he raped her.

The court heard the victim was crying and pain during the attack.

She asked him to stop but he carried on with the abuse before driving her home.

The girl did not tell anyone about her ordeal and the incident "rested for many, many years."

Waites then went on to abuse more young girls.

He was initially arrested for possessing 600 indecent images of children after being caught in an online police sting.

Officers then found videos on his mobile phone of him having sex with four girls aged 13 to 15 who have never been identified.

Waites was then given an 11-year sentence in 2015 for sexually abusing and raping a 12-year-old girl he groomed over an internet chatroom.

Waites ‘randomly’ added the girl as a friend on the ‘Teenchat’ social messaging website in 2006 and claimed he was 18 and from Stockport.

The victim, from Oldham, was 12 at the time but told him that she was 13.

She thought Waites, who was aged 33 or 34, was ‘nice and caring’ and made a decision to meet him.

The victim of the 2005 rape finally broke her silence and contacted police after reading media coverage of Waites' rape conviction and sentence.

But the judge warned Waites that he may never be released due to the danger he continues to pose to young girls and the "overwhelming likelihood" that he will re-offend.

He added: "I am completely satisfied that notwithstanding the years that have elapsed, you continue to pose a serious risk of harm."

"There is no mitigation. You are a highly dangerous man."

After the case, Detective Inspector Vicky Alexander, of Leeds District Safeguarding Unit, said: “Waites cynically groomed and exploited a vulnerable young girl before luring her to his flat in Leeds and subjecting her to a violent rape.

“He is a sexual predator whose pattern of offending has shown him to be a significant danger to young girls.

“He had been due to be released from prison after serving a lengthy sentence for the rape of another child, but the successful outcome of this investigation by Detective Constable Paul Brindle means thankfully he will be staying behind bars for some considerable time yet.

“Offences such as this will always be treated seriously and thoroughly investigated by specialist safeguarding officers.

"We hope the victim can take some comfort from knowing that he has now had to answer for his actions, and we hope that the wider community will be reassured.”