Body-worn camera footage of police arresting Paul Lipscombe in his car. Pic: Leicestershire Police

By Sky News

Leicester Crown Court heard Paul Lipscombe, 51, created multiple Snapchat profiles to groom girls before assaulting them. He also sold AI-generated child abuse videos on a website.

A senior NHS manager, described by a judge as "devious, scheming and manipulative", has been jailed for 28 years for raping and sexually assaulting girls he groomed on Snapchat.

Paul Lipscombe, 51, from Rothley in Leicestershire, admitted 34 offences against six girls - aged between 12 and 15 - between September 2023 and April 2024 after targeting them via the social media app.

Leicester Crown Court heard that police became aware of his offending after a 15-year-old girl, who was reported missing, told officers that she had been raped.

Prosecutor Frida Hussain KC told Judge Keith Raynor on Monday that Lipscombe was initially arrested on suspicion of kidnapping the missing girl when officers pulled over his car in Birstall, near Leicester, in April 2024.

Ms Hussain told the court the girl went missing from her home late at night and was picked up by Lipscombe nearby, before he took her to a hotel. Police later found the child at a rented address.

"He accused other people of serious crimes simply in order to mask his own crimes," Ms Hussain added.

Follow-up searches at the hotel, his car and home uncovered evidence that the youngster had been sexually assaulted. Police recovered items including soft toys, restraints, vodka, his phone and another mobile which had been wiped.

Devious, scheming and manipulative

Passing sentence on Tuesday, Judge Raynor told Lipscombe he was "intelligent, confident, resourceful and well-organised" and the victims had been "truly vulnerable".

"The evidence shows you to have been devious, scheming and manipulative. You were bold in your offending and you took very high risks. The sexual abuse of young girls was an obsession in life for you," he said.

Leicester Crown Court heard that when Lipscombe initially contacted the girls, he told them he was in his late 20s or early 30s. Five of the six girls had met with him and been raped or sexually assaulted.

A significant number of indecent images of children were discovered on his devices and online storage accounts. He had also set up a website where people could buy illegal videos of child abuse created through AI technology.

The court was told Lipscombe had been targeting girls using several Snapchat accounts, including two fake names, Dom Woodmore and George.

In February, Paul Lipscombe pleaded guilty to 34 offences, including two counts of rape of a child under 13; 21 counts of sexual activity with a child; three counts of sexual assault of a child under 13; and causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

He also admitted six counts of making indecent photographs of children and distributing indecent photographs of children.

Lipscombe was sentenced on Tuesday to 28 years and one month, and to remain on licence for three years after his release. He has been placed on the sex offenders register for life.

The public has made it clear that they expect MPs to look at the evidence when making decisions[1]. Following a nationwide hunt for the evidence questions people think are most important, Evidence Week in Parliament 2025 will open on 3^rd November with constituents all over the UK in the driving seat in a reverse committee hearing, asking MPs about subjects, including electric vehicles, new drugs and working out tax.

Throughout the week, MPs are signed up to quickfire briefings from leading research institutions on many of those subjects, to get familiar with new findings and learn more about interrogating data– from cancer screening to hidden water pollution.

Tracey Brown, director of Sense about Science, said:

“Politicians don’t need to be scientists, but to be effective politicians in a world of major challenges, radical innovation and data, they clearly need to know science. They need to be ready to evaluate evidence critically, and as broadly as data on free school meals to methods for carbon capture.

“Researchers are stepping forward to help meet that challenge over Evidence Week in Parliament, and constituents are urging their MPs to find ten minutes in their busy schedules to get briefed on national and local issues.” 

Voters from across the UK will also get the chance to question the chairs of Parliament’s Select Committees about the evidence behind policies. In a unique ‘reverse’ committee hearing, senior MPs will take the hot seat to address the public’s concerns, including:

• If government uses AI to allocate services, how can MPs question those decisions?
• Are MPs aware of the evidence that smartphones and social media have a negative effect on children’s wellbeing?
• How do we ensure MPs quickly correct misleading information if an error is made when citing evidence?

The public’s questions were collected by the Sense about Science and community groups including Mumsnet, MoneySavingExpert and Shout Out UK. 

Rhiannon Evans, Head of Communications at Mumsnet, said:

“Taking part in Evidence Week is a great way to raise Mumsnset users’ concerns about evidence-based policy making with MPs - on everything from healthcare to restorative justice”

Voters will question the following Select Committees: Chi Onwurah MP (Chair, Science, Innovation and Technology Select Committee), Bill Esterson MP (Chair, Energy Security and Net Zero Select Committee), the Rt Hon. Lord Rooker (Lords Environment and Climate Committee), Karen Bradley MP (Chair, Home Affairs Select Committee), Debbie Abrahams MP (Chair, Work and Pensions Committee), Antonia Bance MP (Business and Trade Select Committee), Caroline Dinenage MP (Chair, Culture, Media and Sports Select Committee), Florence Eshalomi MP (Chair, Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee),  Helen Hayes MP (Chair, Education Committee), and Anna Dixon MP (Public Accounts Committee), and get advice from national experts, including Professor Sir Ian Chapman, CEO of UKRI, Ed Humpherson, Director General for Regulation, Office for National Statistics and Grant Hill-Cawthorne, the House of Commons Librarian, on how information is provided to government and parliament.

Evidence Week in Parliament 2025 is organised by Sense about Science in partnership with Mumsnet, MoneySavingExpert, Shout Out UK, the UK Statistics Authority, community partners and research institutions across the UK.

https://senseaboutscience.org/evidence-week/programme-pdf/

Researchers from across the UK will give individual quickfire briefings to MPs and peers to help them get up to speed on current issues: https://senseaboutscience.org/evidence-week/event/policy-briefings/

Parliamentary staff are given training by ONS, Ipsos,  House of Commons Library, FullFact and others: https://senseaboutscience.org/evidence-week/event/parliamentary-training-sessions/

Evidence Week was launched in 2018 response to the public’s interest in policy evidence, with community groups and individuals wanting to know the justification for everything from rules on standing at football matches to which green technologies are subsidised. It builds on established research and information work in Parliament by POST and the Commons and Lords Libraries to support greater use of evidence by parliamentarians, and has since been emulated in other Parliaments including the EU.

https://senseaboutscience.org/evidence-week/

To attend Evidence Week, interviews or for further details please contact:

Valentina Moya, Sense about Science: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 07482972135