A Market Harborough Paedophile, Carl Hamilton, from Market Harborough has been sentenced to imprisonment after being convicted of raping a young girl over 20 years ago.
On May 1 of this year, Carl Hamilton was unanimously convicted of five counts of indecent assault on a girl under the age of 14 and three counts of rape, following a trial at Leicester Crown Court.
In November 2019, his victim, now an adult, reported the incident to the police. She informed investigators from the Child Abuse Investigation Unit (CAIU) that 39-year-old Carl Hamilton first assaulted her in 1999, when she was merely three years old.
She stated that the assaults occurred in Market Harborough, where Carl Hamilton would frequently engage in inappropriate touching during their time together and raped her on multiple times before the abuse ceased in 2002.
Carl Hamilton was questioned by specially trained detectives but answered ‘no comment’ when he was asked about the allegations in an interview.
Today (Friday 19 July), Carl Hamilton, of Welland Park Road in Market Harborough, was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment.
Detective Constable Aisling McPhillips, the investigating officer, said: “When he committed these offences, Carl Hamilton was in a position of trust – which he took full advantage of in order to fulfil his own sexual gratification.
“When the abuse started, she was just three years old. She was completely unaware what he was doing to her was completely and utterly abhorrent.
“Despite the severity of the allegations, he refused to admit his crimes, meaning the victim had to relive her ordeal again front of a jury. Thankfully they saw through his lies.
“I hope today’s outcome provides her with a degree of closure and allows her to move on with her life as best she can. I also hope this case serves as a reminder to other victims of sexual abuse that it’s never too late to report it to police.”
There are a number of different agencies who are able to offer independent help and support to victims of sexual offences in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.
Further information on these services and details on who to contact if you have been a victim of a sexual offence can be found by visiting https://www.leics.police.uk/ro/report/rsa/alpha-v1/advice/rape-sexual-assault-and-other-sexual-offences.
If you or anyone you know have been affected by the people highlighted in this article, then please report those individuals to the Police on 101 (999 if an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details of the options for reporting a crime. You can also make a report at Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.