Locations
Granville Road, Norfolk Park, Sheffield, S2
Description
Neil Hamilton sought to deny responsibility for the sexual assault, but jurors found him guilty of one count of assault by penetration at the conclusion of his Sheffield Crown Court trial.
In a statement read during Hamilton’s sentencing hearing, the man he targeted said: “After the incident I stopped eating, and didn’t think life was worth living.”
“I’ve been trying to regain some sense of masculinity,” the complainant said.
He described how the attack, which occurred on January 27, 2025, resulted in him “spiralling into using drugs” over the course of a 10-week period, and was sent back to that dark place during the course of Hamilton’s trial.
The complainant added: “Neil will be released from prison one day, however I will have to live with this for the rest of my life.”
A hearing held on June 10, 2025 heard how the complainant was heavily intoxicated when Hamilton, aged 58, assaulted him.
Sending Hamilton to begin a seven-year prison sentence, Judge Rachael Harrison told him: “Having heard the evidence, I’m sure that you waited until he was in that state before you sexually assaulted him, while he was face down.”
“I’ve read the victim personal statement, it’s clear that what you did to him had a profound effect on him.”
Hamilton, of Granville Road, Norfolk Park, Sheffield, was acquitted of one count of rape at the conclusion of the same trial.
Matthew Burdon, prosecuting, told the court that Hamilton has a criminal record of 19 previous offences from 10 convictions.
Among the previous convictions is an entry for indecent assault dating back to 2002, in which Hamilton preyed upon another intoxicated male who was unconscious when the assault began.
Mr Burdon said Hamilton was initially sentenced to three years’ imprisonment for the offence, but this was reduced to a three-year community order on appeal.
Defending, Dermot Hughes said both parties were voluntarily intoxicated when the latest offending was carried out.
He continued by telling the court that Hamilton was in the process of being transported back to Doncaster prison in a van when it was involved in a collision.
Hamilton, suggested Mr Hughes, suffered a back injury in the crash, and has been in “constant pain” since.
“His father is very elderly and very frail, and has not been able to make contact with the defendant…his greatest fear now is not only his father’s continued deterioration, but that his father may reach a terminal point without the defendant being able to provide him with any support,” added Mr Hughes.
Sending Hamilton to begin his prison sentence, Judge Harrison told him: “Your victim was particularly vulnerable due to personal circumstances.
“Whilst he was intoxicated, I am satisfied you waited until he was in a position where he could not defend himself.”
In addition to his prison sentence, of which he is likely to serve two-thirds behind bars, Hamilton was also ordered to remain on the sex offenders’ register for a period of 10 years.