Haileigh Lamont's abusive stepfather handed 16 year prison sentence

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A BRAVE woman who broke her silence after years of rape and sexual abuse in an effort to encourage other vicitims watched today (Friday) as her stepfather was handed a 16 year prison sentence.

Haileigh Lamont also heard Judge Neil Rafferty QC say that her tormentor Tommy Harris, who even abused her one Christmas Day, had subjected her to a "vile litany of depravity'.

The Belfast Crown Court judge told 48-year-old Harris that he had subjected Ms Lamont to a "campaign of sexual violence and rape over a ten year period from the age of eight until she was 18'.

Harris, with an address in Wynchurch Road, Belfast, had pleaded guilty to a total of 42 sex crimes ranging from gross indecency with a child and indecent assaults to attempted rape and finally rape.

The offences were committed over a 10 year period up to June 2009.

In written submissions, prosecution counsel Kate McKay outlined how Harris had married Ms Lamont's mother in the late 1990s and thereafter "commenced his campaign of sexual abuse against the complainant'' and the sexual abuse continued into her teens "unabated''.

Ms Lamont told PSNI detectives in July 2020 that her first memory of the sexual abuse was when Harris placed her a towel in the family home and sexually assaulted her. She was aged either seven or eight.

Haileigh was accompanied by her brother, family and supporters as she left court. Ms Lamont formally waived her right to anonymity so that Harris could be named and shamed. Pics Alan Lewis 

On another occasion, when her mother was in hospital giving birth to her brother, "the defendant required the complainant to sleep in his bedroom overnight and abused her''.

In what the prosecution described as "coercive control'' while in her teens, Harris prevented her from having friends and "socialising with her peers'' and there was an "extensive grooming process''.

The court heard that at times Harris was "jealous and sulky...and it almost appeared that he regarded the complainant as being in a relationship with him''.

At police interview, Harris said he had become "sexually attracted to the complainant when she was about eight years old'' and admitted sexually abusing her on a "regular basis''.

Outlining the aggravating factors, the prosecutor said that the rape and sexual abuse was a "serious breach of trust'' and the victim was at all times vulnerable.

Harris had actively groomed Ms Lamont from an extremely young age, there was a 19 year age gap between them, the abuse occurred in the child's home "where a child should feel safest'' and the campaign of sexual abuse took place over ten years.

As a result of the abuse, Ms Lamont had been diagnosed as suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

In defence submissions, a barrister for Harris told the court: "He instructs that he is solely and absolutely responsible for the acts that he perpetrated against Ms Lamont.'

He added that in a medical report, Harris told the author: "I take full responsibility and I just hope that they can all move on quickly with their lives.''

Hayleigh Lamont leaving court in Belfast 

The Probation Service said in a pre-sentence report that Harris denied being sexually attracted to children and he was assessed as a medium likelihood of reoffending.

In what the judge described as a "lenghty and eloquent'' victim impact statement, Ms Lamont said: "I don't know what it is like or what it means to have memories or thoughts of a child. I never had that.

"The sad reality is that all my memories and milestones are tainted and unhappy.

"Child sexual abuse robs children of a normal childhood. In my late teens and 20s I felt unworthy of any good and I felt like a fraud.

"I assumed no one would believe me because I hid it for so long and I was reluctant to burden anyone.''

She concluded her statement by saying: "Every day we put ourselves out there, trusting the people won't betray us or hurt us.

"I have been betrayed in the most brutal way.

"I will not be remembered as the wee girl who was sexually abused. I will be remembered as the young woman who boldly and bravely stood up for herself and exposed a paedophile.

"That is a representation of victory, not defeat.'

Said Judge Rafferty: "Ms Lamont is to be commended for her bravery that she has shown in bringing this case before this court.''

Sentencing Harris, the judge said: "The offences this defendant committed agains the victim in this case were a vile litany of depravity.

"There is very little doubt in my mind that the defendant treated his daughter as a sexual play thing.

"He groomed her and abused her. And he abused her for his own sexual gratification. A child who was expected to feel nothing but love and protection from a father figure received nothing but sexual abuse.

"This behaviour he engaged in was a gross breach of trust. The ten years of abuse amounted to nothing less than a campaign of sexual abuse and rape and he inflicted upon his victim humiliating and degrading behaviours.'

Handing down a 16 year sentence, Judge Rafferty said Harris would spend eight years in prison followed by a similar period on supervised licence on his release from jail.

Harris was placed put on the sex offenders register for life and was also made the subject of a Sexual Offenders Prevention Order for an indefinite period.

Last week, in an interview with BBC NI's Newsline, Ms Lamont waved her right to anonymity so Harris could be named and shamed.

Speaking after the verdict, PPS Senior Public Prosecutor Jenny Burns said: “The PPS Serious Crime Unit worked closely with the PSNI to prosecute Tommy Harris. He has now pleaded guilty to a total of 43 serious child sexual offences. These included rape, attempted rape, sexual assault, gross indecency with a child and indecent assault. 

“This was a persistent and distressing campaign of sexual abuse that started when the child was aged around seven years old and continued over a period of 10 years. The strength of the carefully prepared prosecution case, which included the survivor’s account of what happened, ultimately led to Harris’s guilty pleas. 

“I want to pay tribute to the survivor in this case, who is now an adult. She has shown enormous bravery by reporting the abuse she suffered to the police. The abuse happened a considerable number of years ago and this case shows that the passage of time is not necessarily a barrier to a successful prosecution in these cases. 

“We know it is not easy for victims and survivors of sexual abuse to come forward and speak about what has happened them and the criminal trial process can be daunting. Our Serious Crime Unit prosecutors are experienced and trained in dealing with sexual offence cases, and we treat victims and survivors with sensitivity and respect at all times. 

“We want to reassure victims and survivors that the PPS is committed to prosecuting these cases through to their conclusion where there is the evidence to do so. Please continue to come forward and report your experience to police.”

Hayleigh Lamont waived her right to anonymity