ALAN HOPKINSON FROM EASTBOURNE AND ST LEONARDS SENTENCED FOR LIFE AFTER DOUBLE KIDNAPPING AND BRUTAL ASSAULTS
In a chilling case that has shocked the communities of Eastbourne and St Leonards, Alan Hopkinson, aged 45, has been handed a life sentence after a series of heinous crimes involving two young girls.Hopkinson, a resident of Eastbourne, East Sussex, pleaded guilty at Lewes Crown Court to multiple charges including two counts of kidnapping, two counts of false imprisonment, and nine counts of assault.
The court also heard that he admitted to 11 additional counts of assault against two other girls aged 10 and 11 in 1998, with ten more charges remaining on the file.
The judge, Richard Brown, delivered a stern message to Hopkinson, emphasizing the severity of his crimes.
He stated, “The public now have the right to demand that this court does everything in its power to ensure that you will never again be free to present a risk to young children.” The sentences handed down were nine life terms, reflecting the gravity of the offenses.
The horrifying incident began on January 19, when the two 10-year-old girls were abducted while walking from their homes in St Leonards to school.
According to their accounts, Hopkinson arrived in a car, quickly drew their attention, and then forcibly grabbed them, covering their mouths to muffle their screams.
He then bundled them into the trunk of his vehicle, taking them on a terrifying journey.
Initially, Hopkinson drove the girls to his parents’ house, and later transported them to his flat located above a shopping center on Kingfisher Drive in Eastbourne.
During their captivity, he tied them up, and on several occasions when he left the premises, he would carry them in a black bag to his car.
The girls recounted that Hopkinson drove them to the infamous Beachy Head, a well-known site for suicides, and police believe he may have contemplated driving them over the cliff in an attempt to end their lives.
Further disturbing evidence was uncovered on Hopkinson’s computer, which contained a list of schools in East Sussex and pages featuring child models torn from mail-order catalogues.
These details suggest a disturbing premeditation and a pattern of behavior.
Detective Superintendent Jeremy Paine, who led the investigation, described the case as the worst he had encountered.
He characterized Hopkinson as an “horrendously dangerous man” who should “never, ever be released into society.” It was revealed that although Hopkinson was previously known to police, he was not on the sex offenders register nor under any supervision at the time of his earlier conviction, due to the lack of protocols in place during that period.
Surveillance footage from the time shows Hopkinson shopping after the kidnapping, indicating he resumed his abusive behavior shortly after being released from prison.
Authorities believe that increased scrutiny in Eastbourne may have driven him to seek victims further afield.
Outside the court, the father of one of the victims expressed his unyielding feelings.
“It will be reassuring for her that he will never come out, but we will never forgive him,” he said, underscoring the deep scars left by Hopkinson’s actions and the community’s demand for justice.
