Man sentenced for rape and assault of child
Detectives described Hamilton's crimes as "utterly abhorrent"
- Published
A Leicestershire man has been jailed for sexually abusing a child more than 20 years ago.
Carl Hamilton, 39, was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment when he appeared at Leicester Crown Court on Friday.
His victim, now an adult, had approached police to report what happened to her in November 2019.
She told officers Hamilton, of Welland Park Road in Market Harborough, had first raped her in 1999, when she was three years old.
He would regularly touch her inappropriately, and continued to rape her on other occasions, until the abuse stopped in 2002, police said.
When questioned by detectives, Hamilton refused to comment on the allegations.
But following a trial he was convicted of five counts of indecently assaulting a girl under the age of 14 and three counts of raping her.
'Saw through his lies'
Det Con Aisling McPhillips, the investigating officer, said: “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 in 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.”
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