A 42-year paedophile rapist, Ian Hamilton, sentence has been handed on an individual who raped and sexually assaulted multiple women and girls in the Dover and Canterbury regions.
Ian Hamilton was indicted on several sexual offences following a review by Kent Police’s Cold Case Investigation Team of a 1988 inquiry into an assault on a girl in the village of Hersden.
This then connected him to a 1992 report regarding the abuse he perpetrated on a kid in Dover during the mid-1980s.
Investigators commenced the process of finding and interrogating individuals who had interacted with Hamilton during that period, resulting in several women disclosing that they too had been subjected to violence and sexual assault by him.
Officers found a further nine women who were victims of sexual assaults from 1977 to 2000, as well as a male who was seriously injured by him in 1991.
Consequently, over 50 previously unreported incidents were examined, leading to Hamilton’s arrest at his residence in Snodland in March 2024.
Following his arrest, a computer in his possession was found to contain more than 1,500 indecent images.
The 63 year old stood trial at Inner London Crown Court and was convicted by a jury of all 59 charges including rape, indecent assault and causing grievous bodily harm, having admitted possession of indecent images at the start of the trial.
On Friday 13 December 2024, he received a sentence of 42 years and one month. His Honour Judge Silas Reid described Hamilton as ‘cunning and sadistic’ and a ‘monster of the night’.
The judge said:
‘What you have done with many women in this case has shaped their whole outlook on life. They live with the horrors you have put them through. All the victims have shown immense bravery to overcome the damage you have caused them.
‘Hopefully after today all of your victims can put you in their past.’
Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Inspector Lee Neiles, said:
‘Ian Hamilton raped and indecently assaulted girls and women throughout his life and, such was the terror he instilled in his victims, many felt unable to report the offences at the time.
‘I would like to praise the victims’ courage in supporting this investigation and giving evidence at the trial. The case could not have been brought without their bravery.
‘I would also like to pay tribute to the tenacity and commitment of our Cold Case Investigation Team in what was a complex and challenging case.
‘The support of the victims and the work of investigators meant that, not only was it possible to bring charges in the two previously unsolved cases, but also to find further victims and hold Hamilton responsible for his lifetime of attacking women and girls.
‘I urge anyone who has been a victim of sexual violence to come forward and report it to police, no matter how much time has passed.’We will investigate and do everything within our power to make sure those who commit such crimes, whether recently or in the past, are brought to justice.’
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.