HARTLEPOOL MAN JAILED FOR MULTIPLE SEXUAL ASSAULTS AND BODILY FLUID SQUIRTING

Paul Sild, aged 34, from Moorhen Road in Throston, Hartlepool, committed a series of alarming sexual offences during April and May 2024. He stalked women and teenage girls on the streets around Hartlepool, looking for opportunities to assault them. Sild targeted young-looking females, including two teenagers and a woman pushing a pram, and used a syringe filled with his bodily fluids to spray down the backs of their clothes. Victims reported feeling wetness and were shocked by his sudden close proximity, often not hearing him approach. Many later contacted police, frightened to be out alone. Witnesses described him as having long brown hair tied back. Officers observed him sitting in his car, following women walking past, and subsequently arrested him on suspicion of sexual assault. During the search, police found two syringes and a medicine bottle, which he claimed contained calpol, eggs, yogurt, and milk as a joke. Forensic analysis confirmed the syringe contained semen. Investigations of his phone revealed videos and images of other women and children being assaulted, including category A child abuse material. Additionally, Sild had recorded his assaults by urinating into hollowed-out books and filming himself on his phone. He confessed to two counts of sexual assault of a child, 17 counts of sexual assault, two counts of making indecent images of children, and possessing extreme pornography. The court was told he devised a plan to follow women from his car and use the syringe to simulate ejaculation. Judge Jonathan Carroll sentenced him as a dangerous offender to a total of six years’ imprisonment—four years and six months in jail plus 18 months on license—and imposed an indefinite sexual harm prevention order. Det. Sgt. Ian Boyes stated the sentence would ensure Sild poses no further threat to women, noting his conduct intensified in 2024 with police uncovering serious crimes on his devices. Victims described their experiences as degrading and humiliating, feeling objectified. Authorities emphasized that Sild would be registered as a sex offender and closely monitored after his release to safeguard the community.