Family of murder victim whose killer went on to subject schoolgirl, 15, to eight-hour hostage ordeal say he should never have been released

By JAMES TOZER, NORTHERN CORRESPONDENT and ANDREW CHAMBERLAIN Published: 00:02, 15 July 2026 | Updated: 00:21, 15 July 2026 The family of a murder victim whose killer went on to subject a schoolgirl to a 'terrifying' eight-hour hostage ordeal have said he should never have been released. 'Depraved' former radio DJ Paul Sharpe was jailed for life in 2001 after strangling 28-year-old Sarah Widdup, who he seduced when she contacted his phone-in show. But he spent only 12 years behind bars before being given parole, allowing him to go on to kidnap and launch a sex attack against a 15-year-old girl. As the 'dangerous' 56-year-old faces another prison sentence, relatives of Ms Widdup - who was the mother of a ten-year-old boy - have spoken of their horror that he was freed to strike again. 'I am very angry that he was released so soon and didn't get the sentence he should have,' a family member said. 'I don't think Sarah got any kind of justice at all, and her son certainly didn't. Her death certainly had a massive knock-on effect on him. 'The British justice system is at fault here. It is to blame for this latest attack because if he'd have still been in prison, it would not have happened. 'He got a really lenient sentence.' Paul Sharpe subjected a 15-year-old to an eight-hour hostage ordeal during which he plied her with alcohol and sexually assaulted her Beautician Sarah Widdup was murdered by Sharpe, who she had been dating, in October 2000  The pair struck up a relationship when Ms Widdup, a beautician, called Sharpe's late-night show on Tower FM, in Bolton, Greater Manchester. They arranged a dinner date and embarked on a passionate romance, but he 'flipped' and killed her in October 2000 when she tried to break it off. The following day callous Sharpe picked up Ms Widdup's 10-year-old son from school and dropped him at a neighbour's home, before going on the run. Sharpe, then of Bury, handed himself into police four days later and was jailed for life with a minimum term of 11 years in March 2001. But he was released on licence in 2013, and in May this year he snatched the girl off a street, in the upmarket town of Bowdon, near Manchester. Sharpe put the frightened teenager in a headlock and forced her into his car where he tied her up by her hands and feet. He then drove her to a car park at Manchester Airport, where he plied her with alcohol and sexually assaulted her. The girl's 'protracted' ordeal only ended after her mother reported her missing and police, who reviewed CCTV, managed to identify Sharpe's car. Former radio DJ Paul Sharpe was jailed for life in 2001 for the murder of Ms Widdup Officers finally found the pair in another car park eight hours after the girl was abducted. Demanding tougher punishments for killers, Ms Widdup's relative told the Daily Mail: 'If he'd been given the sentence he should have had, he would not have been out and he wouldn't have been able to carry out the attack. 'It will have a massive impact on the girl and on her family. 'What he did had a massive impact on us and devastated her son. 'If you take a life, you should serve life.' Sharpe pleaded guilty to six offences, including kidnapping, sexual assault, sexual activity in the presence of a child and making threats with a bladed article at Manchester's Minshull Street Crown Court last week. He also admitted intent to commit a sexual offence and administering a noxious substance 'with intent to injure, aggrieve or annoy'. After his guilty pleas, Hannah Gee, a senior prosecutor for the CPS, branded Sharpe's actions 'depraved' and said his guilty pleas meant 'this dangerous offender is back where he belongs'. Sharpe, who is back in custody, will be sentenced in September. A serious further offence review will now take place to understand how Sharpe was able to reoffend despite being monitored by probation staff, with the results shared with the girl's family. Government figures show 26 per cent of criminals reoffended in 2022-23, an increase on the previous two years. MPs have warned that the probation service in England and Wales is at the brink of collapse. It comes amid anger at Labour's controversial soft-justice plan to start releasing waves of killers, rapists and violent criminals from jail. Ministers have set out a timetable that will see 6,000 prisoners walk free, starting in September - although murderers and other criminals serving life sentences will not be eligible.  In response to Sharpe's latest attack, a Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: 'These crimes were horrific, and our thoughts remain with the victims and their loved ones. 'The offender is now rightly back in custody and we will take any necessary action identified in a serious further offence review which is underway. 'Decisions to release life-sentenced prisoners are made by the independent Parole Board and while fewer than 0.5% of those under Probation Service supervision commit serious further offences, we know they have a life-changing impact on victims and their loved ones. 'This Government is investing a record £700million into probation and community supervision and recruiting an extra 1,300 probation officers to protect the public.'