March 2005 Ten years for evil paedophile EVIL paedophile Kevin Hampton, who preyed on girls as young as 5, has been caged for 10 years. The 49-year-old committed the offences on the youngsters stretching back to 1974. St Albans Crown Court heard that his victims were now grown women, but the depraved lorry driver’s crimes had blighted their lives and, when they finally managed to speak up, people in their communities had not believed them. Judge Seddon Cripps, who had read impact statements from each of them, said that even though they had been little girls when Hampton committed the offences on them, they had been plagued by feelings of guilt and isolation. Now, he said, each of the women no longer enjoyed life or any sexual activity because of what Hampton had done to them. Turning to the packed public gallery where some of the victims and their families sat, the judge said: “Your accounts were true and accurate and those who disbelieved you owe you an apology.” Hampton, from Cheshunt, pleaded guilty to 10 offences of indecency, seven counts of indecent assault and three charges of possessing indecent images of a child. Richard Jones, prosecuting, said Hampton, who was a married man in the mid-1970s, first preyed on an 8-year-old girl. He began “grooming” her in a park, and giving her a chocolate bar, then getting her to perform sex acts on him in return for sweets. Then he turned his attentions to a 5-year-old girl, whom he also “groomed” with sweets saying it was their “little secret”. The girl was often sexually assaulted in his lorry cab and he would pay 5 or 10 for her to perform sex acts. The next girl he fondled on several occasions was 7-years-old. In February 2004, police from the Child Protection and Investigation Unit (CPIU) of Herts Constabulary arrested him at the timber yard where he worked. Police also seized videos which, when viewed, revealed Hampton had preyed on yet another girl, and he filmed his own depraved activities with a video camera. Passing sentence, Judge Cripps said: “You are a seducer and abuser of young girls.” Hampton was sentenced to eight years in prison for 10 indecency offences and six for the indecent assaults, and was given an extended 10-year prison sentence to run concurrently for possessing indecent images of a child and indecently assaulting her.