A professional ice hockey player who appeared as an extra on Coronation Street and Hollyoaks sexually assaulted and raped a string of women and girls - and took 'trophy images' - a jury has been told.
Philip Hamer, 34, from Worsley, Salford, is accused of 'the manipulation, grooming and sexual abuse of female children in their early teens'. He denies 22 counts, including eight counts of rape.
Opening the case for the prosecution on Monday (November 11), Simon Reevell told a jury at Manchester Crown Court it was alleged the defendant sexually assaulted six females between 2015 and 2023, with some said to be adults at the time although 'others were still children'.
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The prosecutor said: "Some were attacked on a single occasion, for others their ordeal lasted for months or even years. What is common to all of the offending is the attitude of Mr Hamer towards the woman or child in question – one of utter indifference as to whether or not his advances were welcome as he simply prioritised his sexual desires."
Mr Reevell alleged the abuse 'principally' involved 'the manipulation, grooming and sexual abuse of female children in their early teens' the defendant was said to have met on Instagram.
The prosecutor told jurors: "He appears to have been a professional ice hockey player and an extra in a number of television programmes including Coronation Street and Hollyoaks. He may also have been linked in some non-playing capacity to both Manchester City and Manchester United."
Allegations from an accuser against Mr Hamer were first made in 2011, jurors were told. Mr Reevell said the defendant had pleaded guilty to having sex with her even though he knew she was under 16.
But a 'full police investigation' only commenced in early 2023 when a second woman accuser got in touch with police and alleged she was raped by him when she was 17 or 18, the court heard.
When police seized the defendant's phone, it was examined and 'further potential victims were identified', Mr Reevell told the jury. Following the alleged attacks, Mr Hamer took 'trophy images of his activity with his victims as part of a wider interest in obtaining sexual images of women and girls', the prosecutor told jurors.
Mr Reevell said: "Much of Mr Hamer's offending follows a similar theme. He was sexually attracted to girls in their early to mid-teens. His car was often used to remove his victims to isolated places and was routinely equipped with towels and wipes; his sexual proclivities involved school uniforms. He persisted in offending despite an earlier inquiry by the police and – later – knowing that he was the subject of a police investigation into under-age sexual activity, such was his arrogance to fulfil his sexual desires."
In a video interview played to the jury, one of his alleged victims said she was initially 'over the moon' that Mr Hamer, then said to be 23, showed an interest in her as he was employed as an estate agent and drove a car. She said she was aware he played hockey.
The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, described how Mr Hamer would 'sneak up the stairs' to molest her and that at first she did not 'clock onto the weird behaviour', the jury was told. She described having to 'role play while in school uniform, the court heard.
"I was only young. I didn't know what sex was really," she said. The woman described one occasion in which she could not move her arms when he was alleged to be molesting her, the jury heard. "It just felt horrible. I started just saying 'please get off me' when it first started happening," she added in the video played in court. "I think after like 25 seconds that felt like two minutes I just went completely numb."
She said she was left 'scared' and 'petrified' and, the jury heard, claimed afterwards he said: "I'm sorry about that." The woman said she felt 'absolutely destroyed' by the alleged attack, jurors were told.
Mr Hamer, of Birchfield Drive in Worsley, denies 22 counts, said to have been committed against six girls and young women - including eight counts of rape; seven counts of sexual assault; six counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity; and one count of sexual activity with a child.
One of his accusers alleges she was raped by him four times and also Mr Hamer caused or incited her to engage in sexual activity when she was 11 or 12.
The trial continues
