CROYDON MAN SENTENCED TO 28 YEARS FOR HOLDING WOMAN HOSTAGE AND RAPING HER

Kevin Hawkins, who held a woman captive in her south London home for nine months, has received a 28-year extended prison sentence. Court proceedings revealed that Hawkins, then 25 years old, entered the woman's house after they met outside a Co-op store in Croydon in December 2022. He refused to leave the property, launching a prolonged period of physical and financial abuse, which included multiple rapes, an incident where he poured boiling water on her, and daily demands for money to cover his drug-related debts. Hawkins was arrested on August 8, 2023, after he brought the woman to a bank and demanded cash. Prosecutor Sophie Shotton detailed how the victim was physically assaulted, pulled by her hair, and dragged before police intervened due to her severe facial injuries. Hawkins, diagnosed with schizophrenia, was found to have intentionally taken illegal drugs that exacerbated his mental health issues. Judge Claire Harden-Frost described the victim as a vulnerable woman in her 60s who had previously tried to help him. Recognized as 'clearly dangerous,' Hawkins was sentenced to 21 years in prison with an additional seven years on licence and ordered to adhere to a lifelong Sexual Crime Prevention Order. The court highlighted both his dangerousness and mental health during the sentencing process.