A senior NHS manager has been sentenced to 28 years in prison for a series of depraved sexual offences against children, following a dramatic arrest at a KFC drive-thru.
The Arrest and Unravelling Crimes
Paul Lipscombe, a 51-year-old performance and informatics specialist for the University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, was handcuffed by officers from Leicestershire Police in his white Tesla at a fast-food restaurant in Birstall, near Leicester. Bodycam footage from the arrest captured the moment the 'warped' paedophile told officers, "I haven't kidnapped anyone, I know exactly where she is", before revealing the location of a missing 15-year-old girl he had snatched near her home.
Subsequent searches of a hotel room he had rented, his car, and his home in Rothley uncovered a cache of disturbing evidence. Police found restraints, soft toys, an open bottle of vodka, and a mobile phone that had been wiped of all data. The investigation revealed he had taken the teenager to a hotel, where he restrained and sexually assaulted her with toys and the vodka bottle.
A Pattern of Predatory Behaviour
Leicester Crown Court heard that Lipscombe's crimes were not isolated. On Tuesday, November 11, 2025, he was found guilty of 34 offences, including the rape of a 12-year-old girl and the sexual abuse of five other victims aged between 12 and 15. The court was told he groomed his victims on Snapchat, using false names on social media profiles where he also portrayed himself as an award-winning NHS expert.
Prosecutor Frida Hussain KC detailed how Lipscombe had tried to manipulate the 15-year-old into calling the police to falsely claim she was being abused by others, in a desperate attempt to cover his tracks. He even supplied a 'paedophile's step-by-step guide' to other abusers and sent disturbing videos to paying subscribers.
Sentencing and Public Appeal
Passing sentence, Judge Keith Raynor described Lipscombe as "devious, scheming and manipulative". He told the defendant: "The sexual abuse of young girls was an obsession in life for you. You were bold in your offending and you took very high risks." The judge noted that Lipscombe, who lived in a nice house with his wife and drove a Tesla, was an "intelligent, confident, resourceful and well-organised individual" who used his position to enable his crimes.
Despite a defence submission from Mary Prior KC that highlighted Lipscombe's award-winning work for the NHS during the Covid pandemic, the judge imposed a severe sentence. Lipscombe was given a three-year jail term, followed by a consecutive sentence of 25 years and one month, with an additional three-year period on licence.
Following the hearing, DC Lauren Speight from the force's Child Abuse Investigation Unit (CAIU) urged other potential victims to come forward. "We suspect he may have been in contact with other girls and could well have committed sexual offences against others," she said. Leicestershire Police's investigation is ongoing.
A spokesperson for the University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust confirmed they had supported the police investigation and conducted an internal review, stating that nothing had been identified to suggest his criminal activity was linked to his role.
