PAUL THWAITES AND HIS SHOCKING CRIMES IN WAKEFIELD
A security guard employed at Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield has been sentenced to a lengthy prison term after being found guilty of horrific crimes involving a woman.Paul Thwaites, aged 40, engaged in a series of violent and sexual offences that left a woman severely traumatised and physically harmed.
Thwaites's actions were described as involving brutal physical violence paired with severe sexual assaults.
During the incident, he forcibly restrained the woman, subjected her to physical assaults including punching her genitals, burning her with an iron and a pair of straighteners, and strangling her until she lost consciousness.
The violence escalated to the point where he burned her breasts and stomach with heated appliances, inflicting horrifying injuries that required medical attention.
The prosecution revealed that Thwaites film the woman during some of the sexual acts and later used this footage to threaten and blackmail her, claiming he would release the recordings if she told anyone about the offences.
On one occasion, Thwaites restrained her around the neck, causing her to black out, only to wake up to the sound of a buzzing noise and to find herself being slapped to rouse her back to consciousness.
According to the court, Thwaites encouraged the woman into sexual activity by telling her it would be “fun,” but his behaviour quickly turned aggressive.
He physically assaulted her over five times, including punching her genitals multiple times and, during a disturbing episode, sexually assaulted her with a curtain pole and an aerosol can, despite her protests and attempts to kick him away.
The court also heard that Thwaites forced the woman into performing oral sex on him.
The offences, which involved both physical and sexual violence, took place over an extended period, with Thwaites showing a blatant disregard for her consent and wellbeing.
The victim bravely confronted Thwaites in court and delivered a heartfelt victim impact statement, describing how her life had been destroyed by his actions.
She recounted persistent flashbacks, stating that she would often have intrusive thoughts while doing everyday activities such as washing up or driving.
She revealed that she is now on medication and has been signed off work indefinitely by her doctor, expressing that her internal suffering is ongoing.
She said, “He completely destroyed me as a person.
It doesn't matter what I’m doing, I can be washing up or driving, and I have flashbacks of the things he did to me, and I break down and cry.
When I’m driving, I have thoughts of letting go of the steering wheel and going into a lorry, and the nightmare will be over.
He completely killed me inside.
It’s going to take years to start getting back to the old me.
I observe things differently now, and I have to fake happiness because inside I just want to crawl into a ball and stop existing.” Thwaites, who resides on Leeds Road in Wakefield, initially denied the allegations upon his arrest in May but later pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including two counts of assault by penetration, oral rape, and two counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.
He appeared in court via video link, and his victim faced him directly, confronting him with the immense damage he had caused.
Legal representatives, including the prosecuting barrister Alex Menary, detailed how Thwaites had also engaged in blackmail, threatening to release compromising footage of the sexual acts.
The court learned from the pre-sentence report that Thwaites was considered a “high risk” of reoffending, a conclusion derived from analytical testing and assessment by probation officers.
Despite this, Thwaites was described as a “model prisoner” during remand and had completed various courses in custody.
His lawyer, Michael Collins, emphasized that Thwaites is genuinely remorseful, describing him as a man who is disgusted by his own actions and struggling to understand why he committed such serious offences.
Judge Robin Mairs expressed clear condemnation of Thwaites’s conduct, referring to his crimes as “torture,” and handed down an extensive sentence of 23-and-a-half years.
This included 16-and-a-half years behind bars and an extended license period of seven years.
The judge also ordered Thwaites to serve at least two-thirds of his custodial term before being eligible for release, at which point the Parole Board will evaluate whether he remains a threat to society.
In his sentencing remarks, Judge Mairs highlighted the calculated nature of Thwaites’s violence—designed to humiliate, degrade, and exert power over the victim.
He acknowledged the victim’s remarkable bravery in reading her statement publicly and emphasized that her suffering would be lifelong.
Thwaites’s own attempt to portray himself as a “Jekyll and Hyde” character was dismissed, with the judge noting it was simply another persona to avoid accountability.
As part of the order, Thwaites was also made subject to lifetime registration on the Sex Offenders’ Register and the imposition of an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
Reacting to the verdict, Detective Constable Matthew Sherriff expressed gratitude towards the victim for her courage in coming forward and thanked everyone who contributed to the investigation.
He affirmed that Thwaites is a dangerous individual convicted of serious offences, and hopes the conviction will bring closure to the victim and prevent him from harming others in the future.
