STEPHEN HINES SHOCKING CHILD ABUSE ADMISSION IN HULL MURDER CASE
In a development that has sent shockwaves through the Hull community, Stephen Hines, a man previously linked to one of the region's most infamous child murder cases, has now confessed to abusing children.Hines, who was under suspicion during the extensive investigation into the disappearance and death of nine-year-old Christopher Laverack, has admitted to sexually assaulting two young children aged eight and ten.
This revelation comes after years of suspicion and investigation surrounding the tragic case.
Hines was a key figure in the case due to his close relationship with Christopher.
He was the brother-in-law of the young victim and was the last person known to have seen Christopher alive.
The incident occurred on Friday, March 9, 1984, when Christopher vanished from the house in Harpham Grove, located in east Hull.
At that time, Hines shared this residence with Christopher’s sister, Kim, and her family.
The circumstances of Christopher’s disappearance and subsequent death have haunted the community for decades, with the case remaining one of the most notorious in the region’s criminal history.
In July 2008, Humberside Police publicly identified Melvyn Read, Christopher’s uncle, as the primary suspect in the murder.
Read, who was the brother of Christopher’s mother, Pamela Cawley, had been under suspicion for some time.
However, Read was never formally charged with the crime and had died earlier that year from cancer while incarcerated at Hull Prison at the age of 64.
Despite Read’s death, investigators believed that he did not act alone and suspected the involvement of an accomplice in the heinous act.
Recent developments have shifted the focus onto Hines, who has now admitted to sexually abusing two children, aged eight and ten.
He is scheduled to be sentenced at Hull Crown Court on the upcoming Friday.
Hines, now 60 years old, has made disturbing threats to take his own life if he is sent to prison.
During an earlier court hearing, Hines, residing on Orchard Park Road in Hull’s Orchard Park area, claimed through his legal representative that he was suffering from severe health issues and was “at death’s door.” His defense lawyer, Paul Genney, stated that Hines believed he did not have much longer to live and requested that sentencing be postponed until a comprehensive medical report could be completed.
Judge Mark Bury, presiding over the case, expressed skepticism about Hines’s claims, remarking that the defendant appeared to be delaying the inevitable.
The court was informed of Hines’s numerous health problems, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, diabetes, hypertension, insomnia, heart issues, and claustrophobia.
It was also revealed that Hines had been hospitalized the night before due to a seizure.
Despite these health concerns, the judge questioned the relevance of the medical report, noting that the pre-sentence report did not indicate that Hines’s health was so fragile as to prevent sentencing.
In light of Hines’s threats to harm himself, the judge ordered that he be remanded into custody and instructed that prison authorities be made aware of his vulnerability.
The court emphasized the importance of monitoring Hines closely during his detention.
The sentencing hearing was adjourned to allow for further medical assessment, which could influence the length of his prison term.
Reflecting on his past, Hines previously told the Mail six years ago that his life had been irreparably damaged by his association with the Christopher Laverack case.
He claimed to have considered himself Christopher’s “hero,” a statement that underscores the complex and tragic history surrounding the case.
Christopher, who was from Anlaby, had been staying with his sister Kim and her then-husband, Hines, on the night he disappeared.
Kim had left the house at approximately 7:50 pm to work at the Crown Hotel in Marfleet Lane.
Hines recounted that he watched television with Christopher until about 9:15 pm, after which he left the house to buy crisps from the same hotel.
He returned around 10:25 pm to find Christopher missing.
Two days later, Christopher’s body was discovered floating in Beverley Beck after a dog walker spotted it.
The young boy had been sexually assaulted and beaten to death with a blunt object before being discarded in the water inside a carpet bag.
The case remained unresolved for many years, with Melvyn Read, who died in 2008, being the main suspect.
Authorities believed Read had been abusing Christopher over an extended period before abducting and killing him.
Despite the passage of time, the investigation persisted, and new evidence or confessions such as Hines’s could potentially shed further light on the tragic events that unfolded in Hull all those years ago.
