Man jailed for over five years for child sex offences
He was sentenced at Bristol Crown Court after admitting the charges
Paul Collins, 54, sentenced at Bristol Crown Court after admitting to seven counts of sexual activity with a child
A man has been jailed for more than five years after admitting to multiple sexual offences against a child.
Paul Collins, 54, of no fixed address, was sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on Friday, 21 March, after pleading guilty to seven counts of sexual activity with a child. He was sentenced to five years and seven months in prison and must register as a sex offender for life.
The court heard that Collins approached a vulnerable teenage girl in the street, gained her trust, and supplied her with drugs before sexually assaulting her multiple times over several days in 2022.
Officers arrested Collins at his bedsit for an unrelated matter, where they found the teenage girl with him. A few days later, the victim reported to police that Collins had raped and assaulted her.
Investigating officer, DC Liam Owens-Reeve, said: “Paul Collins is a very dangerous individual who has manipulated and preyed on a teenage girl.
He added: “Her courage and bravery in talking about her traumatic experiences has meant we were able to bring charges against Collins and now he will hopefully be in prison for a long time and not act as a risk to other underage girls.”
If you suspect a child or teenager is being exploited, groomed or targeted, report it online, call police on 101 or on 999 if it is an emergency and there is risk to life or limb.