Depraved ice hockey player asked victim to wear school uniform when he abused her

WARNING, DISTRESSING CONTENT: Victims of Philip Hamer, found guilty of 21 charges, including eight counts of rape and seven counts of sexual assault, spoke at a sentencing hearing this week

A depraved ex-ice hockey player found guilty of a number of sick sexual offences against children told one of his victims to wear her school uniform when he abused her.

Philip Hamer was found guilty of 21 charges, including eight counts of rape and seven counts of sexual assault at Manchester Crown Court last year. A former ice hockey player and TV extra, he had already admitted to a host of sexual offences against children and on Thursday appeared at Manchester Crown Court for a sentencing hearing, Liverpool Echo reported.

One survivor said: "Phillip Hamer convinced me I was in a serious relationship. I see this wasn't truly a relationship.

“He collected me from parties with my school friends. He would also often buy alcohol for me.

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

“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."

Many of his victims were underage at the time Hamer, of Birchfield Drive, Worsley, abused them. Some he attacked once, but for others their ordeal lasted for months, sometimes even years.

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.

Another victim said she had been a "young and happy little girl who had great relationships with her family" before the abuse began. She continued: "Little did I know all that was about to change.

“Phillip hurt me that night in ways no child should ever have to. I was a virgin and that night I had all innocence taken away from me. It ended up affecting every aspect of my life. I couldn't leave the house for days on end.

"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."

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. 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 dad as a way to mitigate his behaviour. She told him: "How dare you exploit the loss of a family member. 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. 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 to next week and remanded him in custody.