It was a Facebook message out of the blue that changed everything for Rhiannan Egan, who was made to believe she was worthless by a prolific paedophile.
She first came across predator Philip Hamer, 34, as a schoolgirl after he drew her in with a DM telling her she was ‘beauitful’. Going through a turbulent time at home, Rhiannan, then 14, thought it was ‘cool’ to have an older boyfriend and struck up a romance with the then-21-year-old.
But their relationship soon soured, with Hamer, who appeared as an extra in Hollyoaks and Coronation Street, forcing her to carry out sexual acts. Three years later, he lured her to his family home before brutally raping her, twice.
The massage therapist, now 27, bravely reported him to the police in 2023, and, along with other survivors, saw him caged for 36 years in February this year. She has waived her right to anonymity to share her harrowing story in a bid to encourage other survivors of abuse to come forward.
Rhiannan, from Manchester, said: “Philip destroyed me. I was just a child when he groomed me. Reporting him felt like the biggest relief. And I’ve taken the power back now he’s been put behind bars.
“I want to use my voice to encourage others who are being abused not to suffer in silence like I did. You can achieve justice and will be believed.”
The two met in 2012 when he messaged her on social media. Despite being 21, Hamer continued to message the then 14-year-old. Recounting the start of their relationship, Rhiannan said: “I thought it was cool that I had an older boyfriend who had a car.
“Because he also had a professional job as an estate agent, I trusted him. He would constantly tell me I was beautiful and flatter me. He made me feel special.”
Weeks later, Hamer picked the schoolgirl up in his car one night and took her to a secluded woodland where they shared a bottle of wine. Once drunk, he made her perform sex acts on him.
She remembered: “Thinking we were boyfriend and girlfriend, I just wanted to please him, so went along with it.” Over the course of the year, the two would meet up several times a week, but always under the cover of darkness.
He made her keep their relationship a secret, which saw her repeatedly tell her mum she was going to see friends when they met. If she ever asked to meet him during the day, he would fob her off with an excuse.
After a few months, he started taking her to his house where he lived with his mum and stepdad. “He’d sneak me upstairs to his bedroom where we’d have rough sex,” she explained. “Many times he’d tie my feet and hands together tightly with cable ties, leaving red marks.
“I’d tell him it hurt but he didn’t care. It was awful.” If Rhiannan refused his sexual advances, he’d threaten her with comments such as ‘I’m not dropping you home unless you do it’. She continued: “He was really aggressive and would push my head down violently into his privates.
“Sometimes I couldn’t breathe as he made me perform sex acts. But I was infatuated by him. I see now it was grooming and manipulation.”
Hamer even made her take sexual pictures on her bed or in the school toilets dressed in her school uniform. A year on, aged 15, she stopped seeing Hamer.
But she started skipping school and began drinking regularly. Tragically, she felt suicidal and began self-harming. “Most days I didn’t want to get out of bed,” she said. “I felt worthless.”
After she turned 17 and started college, Hamer got in contact again. She had just split from her boyfriend and was feeling low, so accepted an invitation to visit his house.
“Before I went, I told him ‘Don’t try anything on with me, I’m on my period’,” she said. “I was happy to catch up as friends, but nothing more. I made that clear. He agreed.”
Once at his home, Hamer offered her a glass of wine. But when he didn’t return from the bathroom 10 minutes later, Rhiannan became concerned about where he was. He called her upstairs and she reluctantly went.
“As soon as I got to the bedroom, he grabbed me, threw me to the floor and straddled me. Pinning my wrists down. He yanked down my tights, and forced himself on me,” she recalled.
“As he raped me I told him ‘no’, over and over again. But he didn’t listen. His pupils were big and black, like the devil’s.” Afterwards, Rhiannan fled to the bathroom and locked herself inside. But after pretending to go downstairs, Hamer barged in and raped her again.
With no money to get a taxi home, Hamer then dropped Rhiannan close to her house. Recalling the incident, she said: “I’ve never been so terrified in my life. As soon as I opened the car door, I bolted it away from him.
“I never wanted to see his face again.” But his campaign of abuse didn’t stop there. Hamer acted like nothing had happened, and reached out to Rhiannan again.
When she called him out for his vile behaviour, she says he began ‘gaslighting’ her, trying to convince her that he hadn’t done anything wrong. She firmly told him she never wanted to see him again, and a few months later, at a doctor’s appointment, she confided in her GP that she’d been raped.
“I told him I didn’t want to be alive, and the doctor just gave me anti-depressants,” she claimed. “It made me feel so much worse and that I’d never be believed if I reported Philip.”
After thinking her story wouldn’t be believed, Rhiannan took a downward turn. Her life was chaotic; she drank all the time and partied hard, which saw her continue to have unhealthy relationships with men. “I just wanted to feel numb,” she admitted.
Nearly a decade on, in 2023, Rhiannan found the courage to report Hamer to the police. Nine months after providing her statement, she discovered more of Hamer’s victims had come forward.
Last month Hamer, from Worsley in Salford, was jailed for 36 years, with a minimum of 28 years with an extended license of eight years. The former ice hockey player, who raped and sexually abused seven girls, pleaded guilty to several charges before trial.
Following a trial in November 2024, Hamer was found guilty by a majority verdict of a further 21 charges, including eight counts of rape; six 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. In total, he was convicted of 41 charges.
He had used social media to target and groom children as young as 11 between 2010 and 2023. Rhiannan, who was in court to see him sent down, said: “I believe there are more survivors of his out there. Knowing he worked as an ice hockey coach abroad means he had access to other children.
“I hope they read this and find the courage to report him too. He never deserves to be free to hurt anyone else again.” Detective Constable Denise Garde said: “Philip Hamer is a sexual predator. Hamer would send unsolicited pictures to his victims and also tracked their movements.
“In his police interview, Hamer showed a denial for any wrongdoing in his actions. He did not believe that he was a sexual predator and that his actions caused severe harm and distress to his victims.
“He incited his victims to send him hundreds of pictures and videos over a period of seven years. One victim was in fear that Hamer may disclose the pictures to others or come to their address.
“After seizing his devices, we later found voyeuristic videos and pictures Hamer had taken of people in changing rooms who were not aware they were being filmed. It took one brave victim to come forward, speak to our officers and detail their abuse. This opened up the whole case and resulted in us obtaining evidence that Hamer was a prolific sex offender.
“Our commitment to protecting victims of sexual abuse is unwavering. Speaking out about sexual abuse is incredibly difficult, but I ask that those who believe they are going through something similar, report this to us.
“Time is no barrier when it comes to being sexually abused – no matter how long ago it was, or how old you were at the time, we will listen to you. We will support you, investigate, and act robustly against perpetrators. We will take your allegations seriously and treat you with dignity and respect.”
If you or someone you know has been raped or sexually assaulted, Greater Manchester Police encourages you not to suffer in silence and report it to the police, or a support agency so you can get the help and support available.
Saint Mary’s Sexual Assault Referral Centre, Manchester, provides a comprehensive and coordinated response to men, women and children who live or have been sexually assaulted within Greater Manchester. They offer forensic medical examinations, practical and emotional support as well as a counselling service for all ages. Services are available on a 24-hour basis and can be accessed by calling 0161 276 6515.