Birmingham rapist attacked four girls in three counties
A man who sexually attacked four girls in three different counties has been jailed for 16 years.
Derbyshire Police said they were approached by the parents of a 16-year-old girl who had been raped, leading to an investigation. Samuel Hamilton, 23, of Hartley Road in Birmingham, was sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court for 11 offences on Tuesday. The offences he was found guilty for include two rapes and one attempted rape. Derbyshire Police said their investigation started in November 2019 when parents of a teenage girl said she was raped by a man she had been speaking to on social media. She had agreed to meet him at a public place in the Somercotes area, the force said, but he drove her to a more secluded location before sexually assaulting and raping her. Forensic examinations linked the case to another crime committed in Northamptonshire, and further offences in the West Midlands. The offences were committed between 2018 and 2020. As well as his jail term, Hamilton must also serve five years on licence and will be placed on the sex offenders register for life. Det Con Paul Butler, who led the investigation for Derbyshire Police, said: "The effect of the horrendous ordeal each victim suffered will no doubt stay with them forever and I would like to thank them for their immense courage and determination in what was a difficult and complex investigation." Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk.