Paul Sild, 34, from Hartlepool, admitted to over 20 charges of sexual assault, possession of indecent pictures, and extreme pornography.
In June, Paul Sild was apprehended and indicted by Hartlepool CID officers following reports from many women regarding occurrences that occurred on residential streets in the town in May.
Officers discovered that Paul Sild had accosted unfamiliar women on the street and utilised a syringe to inject them with a chemical that included traces of his DNA. He recorded these assaults on his mobile phone, which he concealed under a hollowed-out book.
Subsequent to his apprehension, authorities discovered evidence of further unreported sexual assaults, as well as obscene photographs of minors and severe pornography on his mobile device.
On Friday, December 12th, at Teesside Crown Court, Paul Sild was sentenced to four and a half years of imprisonment, accompanied by an 18-month extended licence.
Detective Sergeant Ian Boyes, from Hartlepool CID, said: “I am satisfied with the sentence handed to Paul Sild today, as it means he is no longer a danger to women in the town. We have also applied for a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and Sild will be a Registered Sex Offender who will be monitored upon his release, to further protect vulnerable women and girls.
“Paul Sild had not committed offences prior to May 2024, and so the sudden escalation of his behaviour was extremely concerning and, as officers went through the content on his phone, it became clear that he posed a danger.
“Paul Sild committed sexual offences against women and teenage girls at random in the street and filmed them on his mobile phone. A number of those women may not have even known what had happened to them until afterwards, or until they got home. I hope that today’s outcome provides some comfort to those victims.”
Teesside SARC offers free support and practical help to anyone in Teesside who has experienced sexual violence and/or sexual abuse, whether or not they want to involve police. More information can be found here: https://sarcteesside.co.uk/
If you or anyone you know have been affected by the people highlighted in this article, then please report those individuals to the Police on 101 (999 if an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details of the options for reporting a crime. You can also make a report at Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.