AS SHE gripped her phone, Samantha Walker-Roberts sank to her knees in disbelief.
Closing her eyes, she saw again the cold, hard stare of her childhood abuser and heard his chilling voice.
Paul Waites groomed Samantha online before luring her into a car park and raping her[/caption]
Five years earlier, a judge had ruled that paedophile Paul Waites may never be released from prison.
Now, Samantha’s probation officer was calling to say he had won a parole review.
Waites was convicted in 2015 of raping a 12-year-old child and he was sentenced to 11 years in prison.
In 2020, he received a life sentence for sexually abusing a 15-year-old girl. He was also jailed in 2009 for child sex offences.
The sentencing judge in 2020 warned Waites he may never be released from prison because of the dangers he posed to young girls.
But just five years on, he has been given permission for a parole review, a decision which has horrified one of his victims, Samantha Walker-Roberts.
Samantha, 31, from Oldham, says: “When I got the call to say he’d won his parole review, I was petrified. It was like I was 12 years old again, under his control and with nowhere else to turn.
“Waites is a dangerous man. He targeted me, and other young children, and left me with a lifetime of trauma. Even now, I feel sick with fear at the thought of him.
“When I learned he was applying for a parole review, I filed an objection, but that was refused.
“I’ve now applied to attend the hearing in person with a support person, and my support person has been refused. It seems like the feelings and the rights of the victim don’t matter.
“I am so afraid of Waites that I will have to move house. He can work out where I live from the way the exclusion zone is drawn up.
“I just won’t be safe in my own home. What worries me more is that all other young girls will be at risk from him.”
Samantha was 12 when she was groomed online on a site called Teen Chat by Waites, a former teacher, who later sexually assaulted and raped her.
‘CARING AND UNDERSTANDING’
Samantha says: “At the time, all my friends were obsessed with an online platform for teenagers, so I made myself an account.
“Paul Waites contacted me and said he was 18.
“He seemed very caring and understanding.
“I found myself confiding my problems and he seemed like a true friend. We swapped numbers and I’d speak to him every day.
“He talked me into sending him photos, and I was so scared of losing him as a friend that I agreed.”
Samantha, seen as a toddler during happier times, says initially Waites seemed ‘caring and understanding’[/caption]
Three months on, Waites sent Samantha a photo of himself.
She says: “He wasn’t what I was expecting at all.
“He was naked from the waist up, with short black dreadlocks and a colourful bandana and sunglasses.
“He looked like a man; so much older than 18. But I didn’t question his age; I was just a child. I didn’t dare question anything.”
Waites persuaded Samantha to meet him, promising she could be his girlfriend and offering her the happiness she longed for.
They arranged to meet in a Sainsbury’s carpark in Oldham in August 2006.
Samantha says: “I had doubts about meeting Waites, but I went ahead, because I was scared of annoying him.
“I was supposed to be at my drum lesson at that time, so that gave me an excuse to go into town.
“He told me to keep it all secret. Looking back, he arranged everything so that nobody would be suspicious, but I just thought he was being helpful.
“We sat in his fancy sports car in the car park and talked. He kept nodding at his groin and saying: ‘Come on Sammy,’ but I didn’t know what he wanted from me.
“Afterwards I didn’t hear from him, and I was worried I’d blown it. But a couple of weeks later, he messaged, and we arranged another meeting.
“I was so relieved, like I’d been given another chance. He was very manipulative.”
The second meeting, again in the car park, was similar to the first but this time Waites sexually assaulted Samantha.
Upset and confused, she got out of the car and went home.
‘HE WAS MY BEST FRIEND’
She says: “As soon as I got on the bus, I regretted running away, because I was so scared Paul would reject me.
“He was my best friend; he had made me believe I had nobody else to rely on. Again, he got in touch, and this time, I was determined not to let him down.”
I was so confused. I didn’t understand why he’d treat me like that if he loved me
Samantha Walker-Roberts
At their third meeting, early in October 2006, Waites orally raped Samantha.
She says: “Afterwards, I ran away, retching against a pillar at the bus station.
“I was so confused. I didn’t understand why he’d treat me like that if he loved me.”
After the horror attack, traumatised Samantha visited a sexual health clinic.
She says that, had the authorities stepped in during her clinic visits, they could’ve prevented what happened to her next.
Three weeks on, Samantha, still aged 12, was offered a lift by two strangers.
She says: “I was in a churchyard with my friends, and we were sharing a bottle of cider. I wasn’t used to alcohol, so I quickly got drunk.
“I was sexually assaulted by a man who asked me for a cigarette.
“I went to the police station, but they told me to go home and come back with an adult when I was sober. I felt desperate, as though nobody cared about me.
“When two men outside the police station offered me a lift, I accepted, because it seemed life couldn’t get any worse.”
Samantha had fallen into the hands of sexual predators, and over the next 18 hours, she was passed from one group to another.
“In the final house, where I was raped repeatedly, I was taken into a child’s bedroom, with a bumblebee pattern on the light shade and a kid’s duvet,” she recalls.
“It breaks my heart to think there were children living in that environment.”
Yet only one of the gang ever faced justice.
Shakil Chowdhury, then 39, was jailed in 2007 for six years after admitting six counts of rape, serving only three years in prison.
But it wasn’t until 2012 before Samantha felt strong enough to report Waites to the police.
In April 2015, Waites, then 42, was jailed for eleven years for rape, four years concurrently for causing or inciting sexual activity with an underage child, three years concurrently for sexual assault, two years concurrently for sexual assault and 12 months concurrently for sexual grooming.
Samantha says: “I was horrified to find out he was a former teacher and that he was 34 years old when he targeted me.
What is grooming and where to get help?
What is grooming?
According to the Metropolitan Police, “Grooming is when a person builds a relationship with a child, young person or an adult who’s at risk so they can abuse them and manipulate them into doing things.
“The abuse is usually sexual or financial, but it can also include other illegal acts.”
Types of grooming
Grooming can take place online or in person and it can happen over a short or long period of time – from days to years.
- Online and through social media
- In person
Signs of grooming
- Are they being secretive about how they’re spending their time?
- Do they have an older boyfriend or girlfriend?
- Do they have money or new things like clothes and mobile phones that they can’t or won’t explain?
- Are they drinking or taking drugs?
- Are they spending more or less time than usual online or on their devices?
- Do they seem upset or withdrawn?
- Are they using sexual language you wouldn’t expect them to know?
- Are they spending more time away from home or going missing for periods of time?
A person won’t know they’re being groomed, they will trust their abuser who is giving them lots of attention and gifts. Also, their groomer may have warned them not to talk to anyone about it.
How to get help and support
Grooming is an offence. If you suspect a person is being groomed, even if you’re not sure, please tell someone.
Is someone about to be attacked or hurt? Is a crime taking place right now? If yes, call 999 and ask for the police.
If it isn’t an emergency you can report grooming to the police on 101.
Charities and agencies:
“I was so glad he was off the streets, away from other children. Of all my attackers, Waites terrified me the most because he was so calculated and cold. I have no doubt he is a serious risk to all children.”
In March 2009, Waites was jailed at Leeds Crown Court for nine years, consisting of six years and three years extension, on 26 charges including possessing, making and distributing indecent images.
A HIGHLY DANGEROUS MAN
In 2020, he was handed a life sentence at Leeds crown Court for abusing a 15-year-old girl in 2005.
Judge Tom Bayliss QC, sentencing, told Waites he regarded him as a ‘highly dangerous man’.
His criminal record speaks for itself. He should never be allowed out and if he is, there will be more victims
Samantha Walker-Roberts
But despite Samantha’s objections, Waites has now been granted a parole review, with a date for his hearing yet to be fixed.
She says: “His criminal record speaks for itself. He should never be allowed out and if he is, there will be more victims.”
A spokesman for the Parole Board said: “We can confirm the parole review of Paul Waites has been referred to the Parole Board by the Secretary of State for Justice and is following standard processes.
“Parole Board decisions are solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public if released and whether that risk is manageable in the community.
“A panel will carefully examine a huge range of evidence, including details of the original crime, and any evidence of behaviour change, as well as explore the harm done and impact the crime has had on the victims.
“Members read and digest hundreds of pages of evidence and reports in the lead up to an oral hearing.
“Evidence from witnesses such as probation officers, psychiatrists and psychologists, officials supervising the offender in prison as well as victim personal statements may be given at the hearing.
“It is standard for the prisoner and witnesses to be questioned at length during the hearing which often lasts a full day or more. Parole reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care. Protecting the public is our number one priority.”
Samantha’s book: ‘Undefeated’ is on sale now.
Samantha was devastated to learn that Waites had been given a parole review[/caption]
Samantha’s book, ‘Undefeated’ released on August 14, is now on sale[/caption]
