'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.

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