TW: this story mentions explicit accounts of child sexual abuse

Despite our best efforts to connect, understand, and empathize with others, we often come to realize that we never truly know someone.

Beneath the surface of even the closest bonds, there exist hidden thoughts, emotions, and experiences that remain concealed, shrouding the true essence of an individual in mystery. One woman, in particular, learned this in the most disturbing way upon discovering her friend of two decades was a sexual predator.

Between August 2020 and January 2023, Paul Smith, from Waterloo, UK, sent offensive, explicit, and lewd messages to four distinct women. In a stupefying report published by the Echo on Thursday (October 19), a woman came forward with her own experience with the predator in question.

Recently, a woman from the UK reported a friend she had known for 20 years, as a result of his illicit texts about underage girls

Image credits: Merseyside Police

Rhiain Mort was one of the four women who had received the outrageous messages from Paul, revealing she had been friends with the 48-year-old criminal for 20 years prior to him starting to send obscene Facebook DMs in January.

Paul started describing his alleged sexual relations with another man, before recalling helping paint the nails of an 11-year-old girl who was naked.

In the messages, which have been verified by the publication, Paul wrote: “Long story short, ended up doing the nails of his daughter while he was doing her hair. “She was going to a party and I helped choose her outfit.”

Paul went on to ask Rhiain “is that dodge city?” before adding: “She was 11, looked 18, and happened to be naked at times. Felt I was being a wrong‘un.”

Rhiain told her former friend she was “disgusted” and admitted that his behavior was “deplorable.” To this, Paul replied: “No one touched anyone. Sorry if you think otherwise man, nothing occurred.”

Paul went on to write: “Please excuse me for missing things here man, no abuse took place. She was out the bath so in a towel, briefly naked and trying on outfits, came back to bed and went to bed. Millions of folk dress their kids for a party man, doesn’t make it sinister. I’m upset you automatically thought it was and I’m capable of that tbh. I’ll leave alone mate.”

Paul Smith received a 10-week prison sentence for four counts of offensive, indecent, obscene, and menacing messages

Image credits: Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 (not the actual photo)

Rhiain severed all communication with Paul and promptly approached the police to file a report against him.

The 39-year-old asserted that her former friend had “groomed” her before transmitting the explicit messages. She told the publication: “I have known him for the best part of 20 years. He kind of takes you into his confidence and shares things you would expect a close friend to share with you.

“My limit and my response was always ‘as long as it was between consenting adults’. He would tell me about meeting men on the internet and my concern always came from ‘you need to look after yourself and you can’t go on these exchanges without telling us because we don’t know if you are missing if you don’t come home’.”

Paul recalled helping paint the nails of an 11-year-old girl who was naked

Image credits: KYNASTUDIO (not the actual photo)

“But it was actually January when he told me he was in a house with a man he met on the internet and there was a naked 11-year-old girl and he was painting her nails.

“Obviously my response to that is no, no grown man who is not the caretaker of that child should be in the room with a naked 11-year-old girl and this is not OK. I did my moral and legal duty of reporting him to the police and he was arrested.”

In September, Paul received a 10-week prison sentence from Liverpool Magistrates’ Court. The verdict followed his admission of guilt to four counts of offensive, indecent, obscene, and menacing messages via a public communication network. Additionally, he was issued indefinite restraining orders pertaining to the four women involved.

Rhiain Mort said that Paul had “groomed” her before sending her explicit messages

Three additional women stepped forward with messages from Paul that Rhiain had characterized as “verbatim” replicas of the ones she had received. Rhiain further mentioned that a substantial number of the women had extended both monetary and emotional assistance to Paul.

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An additional woman – one of the four witnesses – who had been subjected to Paul’s advances approached the Echo and recounted a similar pattern of conduct.

Back in 2020, Paul sent several pictures of underage girls to the woman, and confessed he would take one on a “sly date”. He wrote: “I would actually ask the first one out on a sly date, she’s stunning.”

When the woman replied to stop and that she “was a baby”, Paul countered: “She is gorgeous though man, she’s at least 14.” The woman went on to question Paul about what would happen if a child he knew was abused. Paul answered: “That’s tricky. A dark part of me imagines watching it. You did ask like.”

The woman, who wanted to remain anonymous, told the publication she cut off contact and reported the messages to the local authorities.

Paul’s Facebook messages have been verified by the publication

She said: “He’s obviously got a lot of paraphilias, but what I cannot understand is this weird thing he has where he drags women into it.”

Rhiain and the other victims expressed their wish that sharing their stories would encourage women to step forward if they have experienced similar behavior.

Rhiain conveyed: “I want women to know that if you get unsolicited messages or we have someone in our life that is manipulating us like this, they can go to the police and they will be listened to, that’s all we want. And we want other people who have experienced this to come forward.”

UK charity dedicated to preventing child sexual abuse, Stop It Now, has explained that upon learning that someone has been viewing child sexual abuse material (child pornography), it should be reported.

People were appalled at the criminal’s conduct and demanded for a stronger punishment

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The organization wrote: “Even though this person is not putting their hands on a child, this is child sexual abuse and yes, it should be reported.”

The charity advised reporting “all that you have seen and heard from this person to Cybertipline, a system funded by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, where information shared is passed on to the authorities for potential investigation.

“This can be a way you can help the children in these images get out of these abusive situations, and to safety – and you don’t have to give any identifying information about yourself or him if you’re not ready to.”

The organization also detailed how to report such a situation to the appropriate authorities, stating that “it would be helpful to share any evidence you have (like screenshots, his usernames, etc.) and include your name as well in case they need to follow up.”

Others recognized that these types of incidents often occurred with the least expected people

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