RAYMOND HAWKER ON HAYLING ISLAND FOUND GUILTY OF CHILD SEX ABUSE FROM 30 YEARS AGO

In a case that has spanned over three decades, Raymond Hawker, a resident of Castlemans Lane on Hayling Island, has been declared guilty of multiple charges related to the sexual abuse of a young girl. The allegations date back to when the victim was between the ages of four and nine, during which she endured a series of indecent assaults carried out by Hawker. The verdict was delivered by a jury at Portsmouth Crown Court, which reached a unanimous decision in favor of the prosecution, despite Hawker not being present in court for the trial.

Hawker, aged 78, was deemed unfit to stand trial due to ongoing mental health issues. As a result, he did not give evidence or participate directly in the proceedings. The charges against him included five counts of indecent assault on a female under 10 years old and one count of inciting a girl under 14 to commit an act of gross indecency. The court has scheduled his sentencing for March 8, where it is anticipated that he will avoid imprisonment. Instead, he may face a supervision order, contingent upon further medical assessments.

Following the court's decision, the victim, who has chosen to remain anonymous for legal reasons, expressed a complex mixture of relief and numbness. She told The News that although she feels relieved that justice has been served, she also feels emotionally drained. She stated, “I haven’t been able to look past the trial so I’m now just getting my head around it all. Hopefully I can start living rather than hiding away.”

She also shared her thoughts on the potential punishment Hawker might receive, revealing her disappointment that he might not serve time in prison. “Part of me is gutted he won’t go to prison because of all he put me through,” she said. “Ideally he should be sent to jail but he’s told so many lies about me and my family I just want people to know the truth and put an end to the rumors.”

The woman criticized Hawker for not taking responsibility for his actions, emphasizing that his mental health issues should not have absolved him of accountability. “He’s never taken responsibility for what he did. He’s made it so much worse for me by going down the mental health route, which caused the court cases to be postponed,” she explained. She expressed her belief that Hawker’s mental health problems should not have resulted in him being completely cleared of guilt, noting that he did not exhibit any issues at the start of the trial. “But at the end of the day, both he and his family know what he did, and they will have to live with that for the rest of their lives,” she added.

The victim, who has undergone counseling for depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, recounted her confrontation with Hawker in 2017. She revealed her intense anger and the courage it took to face her abuser directly. “Ray admitted to me what he did,” she said. “I went to his house and knocked on his door, and he just said ‘sorry it was a long time ago’. I had the conversation recorded but it couldn’t be used in court.”

She described the long silence she maintained for 30 years, during which she kept her painful memories to herself until she finally found the strength to report the abuse to the police. Her decision to speak out was driven by a desire to protect others, including Hawker’s granddaughter and children in neighboring houses. “I just wrote a letter, I couldn’t say the words,” she admitted. Her reluctance to disclose the abuse as a child was manipulated by Hawker, who insisted it was “our little secret,” further silencing her.

Going through the judicial process was a daunting experience for her, and she questioned whether it was worth the emotional toll. Ultimately, she decided to proceed to ensure that Hawker could no longer harm others and to exorcise her own ghosts from the past. “I didn’t want to go to the police but felt guilt over his granddaughter and the children next door,” she explained. Testifying in court was nerve-wracking, especially as the case depended heavily on her testimony.

During the trial, only Hawker’s wife, Barbara, appeared for the defense. Despite her attempts to cast doubt on the victim’s account during cross-examination, the woman maintained her composure and presented a compelling case under intense questioning. She described the experience as “the most horrendous thing in my life,” and recounted how she was subjected to harsh scrutiny, with the defense barrister Sarah Jones questioning her credibility. “To just be slated by the barrister and having someone say you made it up made me so angry,” she said. “To have to listen to glowing references on Ray while I had nothing of a similar nature and was torn apart was tough to take.”

Her resilience was acknowledged by a family member, who noted that the prosecuting barrister, Mary Aspinall-Miles, described her as “one of the strongest ladies she has come across” and praised her for “sticking to her guns and giving as good as she got.” With the case concluded and her vindication secured, she expressed hope that her testimony would bring her some closure. “I hope it will give me some closure so I can move on with my life,” she concluded, determined to leave the painful chapter behind her.