Luton rapist convicted for grooming teenage victim over Snapchat

A rapist from Luton has been convicted of grooming a teenage girl online before raping and threatening to blackmail her.

Kieran Hamilton, 21, added the victim on Snapchat in December 2018 – when she was 14 years old. Hamilton convinced her to send him explicit pictures which he then used as leverage to force her to meet up with him twice in Luton in January and February 2019.

On both occasions, Hamilton forced his victim to engage in sexual activity with him in public places – raping her during one meet-up. The victim told police that she felt she had to do what Hamilton wanted so he would not share the photos of her.

After the second incident, the teen victim spoke to her mother and Hamilton’s crimes were reported to Bedfordshire Police. Within an hour, officers turned up at his address and were able to forensically link him to the attack.

Last year he pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual activity with a child and one count of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

He denied two counts of rape, but on Friday (March 31) at Luton Crown Court Hamilton, of Chesford Road, was found guilty of one count of rape in connection to his February meeting with the victim. He was found not guilty of the other count in January.

He is due to be sentenced at the same court on May 12.

Detective Constable Hayley Carroll from Bedfordshire Police’s cyber hub said: “Hamilton’s despicable and predatory behaviour saw him use explicit images as a means of controlling his victim for his own sexual gratification.”

DC Carroll called his actions ‘absolutely vile’ and ‘completely wrong’. She said: “No matter when an offender abused or exploited you, we want to know about it. We will listen and put these people behind bars so they cannot hurt anyone else.”