Man, 54, who admits to having sexual relations with vulnerable child jailed

Paul Collins, of no fixed address, approached the teenager in the street and gained her trust. He took advantage of her, plied her with drugs and sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions over several days in 2022.

Officers attended Collins’ bedsit to arrest him for an unrelated matter, when they found the teenage girl with him. The victim came to a police station a few days after Collins was convicted of the unrelated matter and told officers she had been raped and assaulted by Collins.

Collins was sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on Friday (March 21) for seven counts of sexual activity with a minor. He was jailed for five years and seven months by the judge. He was also ordered to register as a sex offender for life.

In a personal statement, read out at the sentencing, the victim said: “I live, every day, scared someone’s going to attack me. I don’t know if someone’s not looking at me with the same look he had, waiting to pounce.

“I think, if any other child was sat there, like I was, he would’ve walked over to them as well, because that’s what he wants. He doesn’t want someone his age, he wants a child, someone that is scared, someone that’s not going to answer back. Someone who he easily has authority over.”

Investigating officer, DC Liam Owens-Reeve, said: “Paul Collins is a very dangerous individual who has manipulated and preyed on a teenage girl. 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.”