Sex attacker who preyed on young girls goes to jail for 21 years
A SEX attacker has been jailed for 21 years after a campaign of rapes and assaults on teenage girls.
Samuel Hamilton carried out the attacks on four girls, all of whom were under the age of 16.
The attacks took place across three counties, with one of the girls living in Derbyshire.
Officers from Derbyshire Constabulary first began to investigate after they were contacted by a parent in November 2019. The woman said her teenage daughter had been raped after meeting a man she had met on social media.
The girl had agreed to meet 23-year-old Hamilton in a public place in the Somercotes area, but he drove her to a more secluded place where he sexually assaulted and raped her.
During the police investigation into the attack, officers were able to link the case to a further crime in Northamptonshire using forensics.
Hamilton was then arrested in Birmingham and transferred to Derbyshire where he was questioned by police.
He was then charged with offences in Derbyshire and Northamptonshire.
Following this, investigations into crimes in the West Midlands were reopened, with detectives continuing their inquiries.
Officers soon found that Hamilton had committed offences across all three counties between 2018 and 2020, with all four victims unknown to each other.
Hamilton, of Hartley Road, Birmingham, was jailed for 21 years at Nottingham Crown Court on Tuesday for 11 offences including two rapes, one attempted rape, one sexual assault by penetration and further sexual assaults of four girls under the age of 16.
He will serve 16 years in prison and a further five years on licence, as well as being placed on the Sex Offender Register for life and being given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order until further notice.
Det Con Paul Butler, who was in
charge of the case for Derbyshire Constabulary, said: “The effect of the horrendous ordeal each victim suffered will no doubt stay with them forever and I would like to thank them for their immense courage and determination in what was a difficult and complex investigation.
“I would also thank all those officers involved in the investigation, who pulled together their work in this case and have shown just how well we can work together across forces to ensure offenders are brought to justice.
“I hope that this conviction will provide reassurance to other victims of sexual offences, and give them the confidence to come forward in the knowledge that they will be listened to and supported. If anyone has been affected by this case then I urge them to come forward and report it to the police.”
This can be done in a number of ways:
Sending a private message to the Derbyshire Constabulary Facebook page.
Sending a direct message to the contact centre on Twitter at @DerPolContact
Completing the online contact form on the Derbyshire Constabulary website at http://www.derbyshire.police.uk/Contact-Us Phoning the police on the non-emergency 101 number.
Anyone who has been the victim of a rape or sexual assault can report it to the police and access trained officers and partner organisations who are there to listen and support.
Any information that is passed on can help bring the offender to justice and protect yourself, and other people in similar situations, safe.