'He asked me to wear my school uniform': The depraved former ice hockey star who 'doesn't deserve forgiveness'

'This is not the end of our pain and suffering.'

That was the heartbreaking message the brave victims of sex attacker Philip Hamer told Manchester Crown Court as they came face to face with their abuser on Thursday (January 30).

Last year Hamer, a former ice hockey player and TV extra, was found guilty of 21 charges, including eight counts of rape and seven counts of sexual assault. He had already admitted to a host of sexual offences against children.

Hamer, who also had jobs at Manchester United and Manchester City, was responsible for the ‘manipulation, grooming and sexual abuse of female children in their early teens', prosecutors said at his trial last year. In total, seven females became his victims and he preyed on them between 2015 and 2023.

Yesterday, Hamer, of Birchfield Drive, Worsley, appeared at Manchester Crown Court for a sentencing hearing where, one by one, the victims of his sickening crimes, who cannot be named for legal reasons, shared just how he had devastated their lives. Their stories made up a harrowing catalogue of mental health struggles, substance abuse, and horrific self harm as a result of the abuse they suffered.

Many were underage at the time that Hamer abused them. Some were attacked once, and for others, their ordeal lasted for months and even years. Together they paint a picture of a manipulative abuser.

'He asked me to wear my school uniform'

One survivor recalled how Hamer had manipulated her into believing that they were in a relationship together. She said: "Phillip Hamer convinced me that I was in a serious relationship. I see that this wasn't truly a relationship.

"He collected me from parties with my school friends. He would also often buy alcohol for me." Despite being subjected to horrific abuse, she still felt guilt.

She said: "I felt a huge amount of guilt on my shoulders, I knew that this was the right thing to do. I feel a huge amount of guilt to have to have not brought it to trial sooner."

She added: "I just cried because I didn't want to be there. I was a virgin when I met him. I will never forget he was the first person to take this very intimate part of me. He asked me to wear my school uniform when we had sexual relations."

The survivor went on to describe that her abuse at the hands of Hamer as a child meant she had gone on to seek out abusive relationships later in life. "I often found some comfort in these types of relationships", she told the court.

Hamer was found guilty of 33 charges by a jury at a trial which concluded at Manchester Crown Court on November 29, 2024. Detectives found he used social media apps to target and make contact with his victims by manipulating and grooming them.

'I had all innocence taken away from me'

The court was told how Hamer's abuse destroyed the innocence of the women he attacked. One described how she had been before her ordeal began - a "young and happy little girl who had great relationships with her family".

She added: "I was a happy little soul. Little did I know all that was about to change. Phillip hurt me that night in ways that no child should ever have to. I was a virgin and that night I had all innocence taken away from me."

She added: "It ended up affecting every aspect of my life. I couldn't leave the house for days on end."

The ordeal left her with a long-standing mistrust of men. She said: "My ability to trust men was completely non-existent due to thinking any man who came near me would hurt me. Trauma is something that will last a lifetime."

After one victim came forward, Hamer’s phone was seized which enabled police to trace further victims. Hamer would send unsolicited pictures to his victims and also tracked their movements.

He incited his victims to send him hundreds of pictures and videos over a period of seven years. One victim was in fear that Hamer may disclose the pictures to others or come to their address.

Officers from Greater Manchester Police later found voyeuristic videos and pictures Hamer had taken of people in changing rooms who were not aware they were being filmed.

'You took advantage of me.'

Taking to the stand, one woman fiercely confronted Hamer in the dock. Speaking directly to him, she accused him of exploiting the loss of his father as a way to mitigate his behaviour.

"How dare you exploit the loss of a family member?" she said. "How dare you. Many people lose their parents at a young age. They never use their pain as a reason to inflict pain. What you have done is so painful. You have broken my trust, ripped apart. You took advantage of me."

She added: "This is not the end of our pain and suffering."

Hamer faces sentencing over a total of 48 counts, and is expected to receive a heavy sentence. Judge Sarah Johnston adjourned the final handing down of Hamer's sentence next week. He was remanded in custody.