Victim’s bravery praised as murderer who raped another woman is jailed

Colin Hill, (61), who has since changed his name to Martin Cooper, was found guilty in 1987 of the rape and murder of 17-year-old Leanne Scott near Sawtry earlier that year.

He was given a life sentence with a minimum term of 18 years in prison, with the trial judge describing him as a “sadistic psychopath who couldn’t be treated by medical science and would be a permanent danger to the public”.

Yesterday he was jailed for a further seven years after admitting three counts of assault by ABH, one of false imprisonment and one of rape. The horrific offences against another woman occurred in the 1980s.

Following yesterday’s hearing, DC Elaine Penniket said: “I would like to applaud the phenomenal bravery shown by the survivor in this case, who has had to live with the devastating impact of Cooper’s horrific actions.

“This case highlights the significance of reporting serious sexual offences to police. Tackling rape is a force priority and if you or someone you loved has suffered at the hands of a rapist, I would urge you to come forward to report it to police.”

While he was given a seven year sentence, Judge Matthew Lowe said the Parole Board will not release him until it is safe to do so.

Peterborough Crown Court heard Hill knew 17-year-old Miss Scott as he was friends with her father, who was a member of the local Hells Angels club.

Hill raped Miss Scott, strangled her and shot her in the face with a sawn-off shotgun, the court heard.

Her body was found tied up and Hill had scratched her name into a shotgun cartridge, Ms Morris said.

Weeks before Miss Scott’s murder, he assaulted, kidnapped and raped another woman.

Hill repeatedly struck the woman’s head against a wall and in a further assault the next day, he grabbed her round the neck and slapped her to the side of the head.

He drove the woman to some woods near Huntingdon, raped her in his car then held her against her will.

She escaped by hiding in another car in a pub car park.

In an earlier assault in 1984, Hill pushed the woman to the floor and kicked her repeatedly in the stomach while she was pregnant, the court heard.

The baby died after it was born.

The woman told Hill, through a victim impact statement that she read during the hearing: “I hope you will never be released so you can’t cause any further pain.”