A perverted retired company director, convicted of historic child sex acts over decades, has been given a 19-year sentence of which the 79-year-old could face as long as 17 years behind bars depending on whether he is paroled.
Allan Trevor Hammond, who once lived in Saffron Walden, but now of Steeple View, March, Cambs, had pleaded not guilty to 11 sexual charges, including rape, involving two under-age girls and a boy.
The judge was told that Hammond could well die in prison because of health problems and his age.
A judge said his “downfall” came when police found indecent images of children on his computer in 2014 which he could not wrongly blame on his accusers’ “fantasies”.
The offences happened in Saffron Walden, Colchester, Chigwell, Chingford and Enfield in the 1960s, 1970s and 1990s when Hammond lived in Essex and ran his own business, Intercare Supply Services, based in Chadwell Heath.
Hammond was convicted after a three-week trial last month. He had denied all allegations.
Jailing him today at Chelmsford Crown Court for the 12 offences, Judge Christopher Morgan told Hammond the jury had convicted him on “compelling evidence of sexual abuse”.
In 1988 one of his victims confronted him but instead of apologising as she wanted he accused her of lying and
being a fantasist and then spread lies about her, said the judge.
He told Hammond: “Downloading indecent images was your downfall in the end. Examination of your computer showed the lie to that manipulation on your part.
“The search terms involved the rape of children, both male and female. Your victims could not have known you were conducting those searches much later on in your life.
“They are not to blame for those searches, they could not have manipulated as it has been suggested.”
The jury returned guilty verdicts on seven offences of indecently assaulting one girl between March 1966 when she was under 13, and March 1974 and of one offence of rape when she was 12 between March 1970-71.
The incidents, some of which were when she was eight or nine years old, involved touching her breasts and vagina and digital penetration.
A second girl aged under 13 was the victim of one indecent assault between August 1960 and August 1961 when he squeezed her bottom under her underwear.
There were two charges involving the boy when he was under 16, one of buggery and one of indecent assault, between April 1990 and 1991, when he was aged about 13. That happened in a company warehouse.
Hammond was also found guilty last year of one offence of making indecent images of children on his computer between June 23 and October 28, 2014.
That related to two category A images – the highest level – and one category B picture.
Judge Morgan imposed two extended sentences - ten years for the eight offences against one girl plus a consecutive nine years for those against the boy.
That means Hammond faces a total of 17 years in jail and two one year periods on extended licence after release leaving him vulnerable to being recalled to prison.
He will be eligible for parole after serving half the 17-year term though.
In addition, the judge imposed concurrent nine months for the offence against the second girl and three months, concurrent, for the indecent images.
Hammond will have to sign the sex offenders’ register for the rest of his life.
As his fate was delivered Hammond stood quietly in the dock, learning on his stick. As he was led away he waved to his third wife April and daughter, Kerry, by his second wife Carol, now deceased.
Two of his victims sat in the public gallery with their supporters. Cries of “good riddance” and “now we have closure” were heard.
The trial heard that Hammond was arrested and taken to King’s Lynn police station in October 2014 in relation to the first victim.
Sentencing, the judge told Hammond his behaviour had had a profound effect on his two main victims, whose personal impact statements were given in court today. The judge added that Hammond was responsible for that - “no-one else”.
The female, now aged 60, had spoken of her lost innocence and the male, now 40, had lost five years’ of his own son’s life when he disclosed to an ex-partner what had happened to him and she feared their child would be subjected to abuse.
“It’s heart-breaking,” commented the judge.
“The effect of your behaviour on their lives has caused severe psychological harm.
“The sentence I pass can in no way heal the harm that you have inflicted on these two individuals.”
The 60-year-old victim read her impact statement in court.
With her voice trembling she said: “I hate who I am.”
She said she never got to find out who she was or what she was capable of because she was “a child of sexual abuse”.
She continued: “I feel that I am serving a whole life sentence. There’s no time off for good behaviour and no opportunity for me to ever forget and move on. “Flashbacks and nightmares I have suffered see to that. I have been held back and limited throughout my life because of what was done to me.”
Now a grandmother, she thanked her supportive family and said she had to live with the guilt of not coming forward earlier to prevent abuse to others “at the same hands of the man as me”.
Prosecutor Shauna Ritchie read the male’s impact statement. In it he said he had never got over what happened. He turned to drugs and then alcohol to numb and escape the effects.
His parents never understood why his behaviour changed in his teens, he added.
“I felt I couldn’t tell anyone what had happened to me. It made me feel worthless. I had no-one to turn to for support.”
He said he had lived a chaotic lifestyle continuing: “I have a son who I love and used to have regular contact. I confided in my ex-partner about the sexual abuse.
“She judged me and stopped me from seeing my son as she felt as I was a victim of sexual abuse I may go on to commit that crime against him. I missed five years of his life due to speculation about my character.”
The victim added: “I believe I would have been a different person if this had not happened to me and Hammond is responsible for ruining my life.”
There was no impact statement from the third victim.
The prosecutor told the judge that the main victim had suffered additional distress from a local media report since the trial.
“A local newspaper in Cambridgeshire included a lengthy interview with Hammond’s wife and anonymous allegations about false evidence having been given at trial both by the complainants and police officers and various other matters which indicate a thinking that this was an unjust process.
“I mention it for this reason. It’s caused a high degree of additional distress.
“It asserts that this was a case where only word of mouth evidence was given rather than the very real evidence of victims who came to give details to members of the jury about their experiences.”
The court heard that Hammond suffers from a progressive and aggressive form of dementia and that the sentence might mean he dies in prison, said his barrister.
His condition was helped by daily care, which he currently received at home from his wife, a retired nurse.
The judge said there was no evidence his incarceration would mean his condition would not be managed. If his condition worsened and his needs could not be accommodated the Home Office and prison authorities could release him early on compassionate grounds.
The trial heard that Hammond was arrested and taken to King’s Lynn police station in October 2014 in relation to the first victim.
He was arrested again in May the following year in connection with the second girl.
Two months later, in July 2015, Hammond was arrested for the third time, in relation to the boy.
In interviews with police, he denied all allegations against him.
Last month’s trial was the second Hammond had faced. Last October the jury failed to reach verdicts on the sexual assault charges after deliberating for three days.
However, it found him guilty by a majority on the indecent images offence.
Mitigating, John Femiola QC said he would not make any comment about the impact statements or the media interview.
Hammond had no previous convictions and there was no evidence of any other offending.
The barrister referred to the defendant’s age and health, and a medical report which indicated his dementia had deteriorated since June and that he needed supervision by a trained carer.
After the July trial, a spokeswoman for the East of England said: “Hammond subjected three young children to sickening abuse in a predatory campaign of exploitation that lasted decades.
“This sort of abuse can have a lasting effect on the lives of victims but it is their tremendous courage in speaking out and their bravery over the course of proceedings that has helped convict him for his vile crimes.
“It is never too late for victims of non-recent abuse to report what happened to them and get support. The NSPCC’s Helpline is available on 0808 800 5000 for help and advice.”
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