Locations
Vulcan Close, Padgate, Warrington, Cheshire, WA2
Description
THIS is the face of a monstrous child rapist who subjected a minor to years of sexual abuse.
Neal Hatton was handed a jail term of more than two decades after being convicted of two counts of rape and nine counts of sexual assault.
He put the victim through the ordeal of reliving their horrific experiences by denying the offences, but a jury saw through his lies.
During the trial, Liverpool Crown Court heard how the evil behaviour occurred in Warrington and began when the victim was of primary school age.
Hatton’s abuse escalated further, as he began to rape and sexually assault the child on a regular basis.
The victim described how they were terrified of the 38-year-old, and when they would try to tell him to stop, he threatened to take them to his home and torture them.
They would try to ignore him, hoping this would stop him from abusing them, but no matter what the victim did, Hatton’s offending continued.
The abuse eventually came to light when the victim sought the courage to tell their mother what Hatton was doing to her, and the matter was immediately reported to Cheshire Police.
Following the report, Hatton was subsequently arrested by detectives. During questioning, he denied all of the allegations against him.
Despite his denials, he was convicted of all the offences following a trial at Liverpool Crown Court, which concluded yesterday, Thursday.
The case proceeded to sentence, with judge Robert Trevor-Jones sentencing Hatton, of Vulcan Close in Padgate, to 21 years in prison, plus an additional six years on extended licence.
Following the sentencing, DS Ryan Crawford said: “Firstly, I want to praise the victim for the courage that they have shown throughout this investigation.
“Hatton is clearly a sexual predator, whose only interest is to fulfil his own sexual gratification.
“He showed no regard for the victim and, even when faced with the mountain of evidence against him, he refused to plead guilty to any of the charges.
“Instead, he forced his victim to relive their experiences in court, which could not have been easy for them.
“Thankfully, as a result of the bravery of the victim, and the evidence we gathered, the jury has seen through his lies, and he is now being held accountable for his actions.
“I hope that the sentence handed to Hatton will provide the victim with some closure and allow them to move forward with their life, knowing that he will never be able do the same to any other children.”
In addition to the custodial sentence, Hatton was ordered to sign the sexual offender register and comply with a sexual harm prevention order for life.
DS Crawford added: “Nobody should have to experience what the victim has been through, and if anything can come from this case, I hope that it encourages other victims of sexual offences to come forward and report them to us.