Woman dies escaping 'sex attack kidnap'

Woman dies escaping 'sex attack kidnap'
By Daily Telegraph Reporter



A young woman died after she jumped or fell from a moving car because she was terrified she was going to be sexually assaulted by the driver, who had abducted her, a jury has been told.
Stephanie Hammill, 20



A court heard how Stephanie Hammill, 20, got into a Mercedes following a night out in Wakefield, West Yorks, as she was trying to flag down taxis with her boyfriend, James Garland.

But the car sped off with Miss Hammill's leg still sticking out of the open rear door, leaving Mr Garland alone on the pavement.

A jury heard how she died a short time later when she somehow got out of the moving Mercedes and was hit by a taxi coming the other way.

Alistair MacDonald, QC, told Sheffield Crown Court that it was the prosecution case that Ioannis Revenikiotis, 28, of Dewsbury, was driving the Mercedes and his motive for abducting Miss Hammill in the early hours of Nov 29, 2003, was "clearly sexual".
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"He drove her out of Wakefield," he said. "During the course of that journey he terrified her because he drove past her home without stopping."

Mr MacDonald said Revenikiotis then headed out towards open countryside.

"As he did so Stephanie Hammill, in fear that she had been abducted and was about to be sexually assaulted, either jumped or fell from the rear offside passenger door of the moving vehicle.

"She landed in the centre part of the roadway where she was struck by another vehicle travelling in the opposite direction."

Mr MacDonald said Revenikiotis did not stop and carried on "with no regard to what had happened to Stephanie Hammill". He was eventually tracked down and arrested in Greece.

Revenikiotis, an engineering graduate from Huddersfield University, denies manslaughter and kidnap.

Bogus cabbie killed travel agent

Stephanie Hammill worked as a travel agent

A Greek man posing as a cab driver was responsible for the kidnap and manslaughter of travel agent Stephanie Hammill in Wakefield, a jury has found.

She died after getting into what she thought was a taxi in November 2003.

Ioannis Revenikiotis, 28, of Dewsbury, was described by a judge at Leeds Crown Court as a "predatory sexual animal liable to attack other women".

The engineer, who was earlier found mentally unfit to stand criminal trial, is to be detained at a mental hospital.

He was found not responsible for two charges of kidnap and indecent assault.

As the foreman read out the jury's decision, there were tears from Miss Hammill's family in the public gallery.

" It may be many years before you are safe to be released, if ever"
Mr Justice Butterfield

Bogus cab danger
Minutes from tragedy


The judge, Mr Justice Butterfield, said to Revenikiotis: "You have been found by this jury to have kidnapped Stephanie Hammill and treated her in such a way by so doing as to leave that innocent young woman to try to escape from your clutches and so meet her horrible, untimely and wholly unnecessary death.

"You are a predatory sexual animal liable to attack other women.

"It may be many years before you are safe to be released, if ever."

The court heard that the 20-year-old got into Revenikiotis's black Mercedes car in the mistaken belief it was a taxi.

The jury was told how Miss Hammill either jumped or fell from the car because she feared she was about to be sexually assaulted.

She was left "terrified" and with her leg trailing from the vehicle as it sped off.

'Indecent touching'

Moments later, she was found dead in Batley Road, Wakefield, after she was hit by another car.

The jury heard how she had become separated from her boyfriend, James Garland, as she got into the Mercedes following a night out in the city centre.

It was revealed in court Revenikiotis had a "propensity for indecently touching" women and had "forced himself" on an engineering student from Huddersfield University, where he got his degree.

One woman, who worked at the same firm as the defendant, told the jury how he touched her on the breast.

But the jury decided Revenikiotis did not kidnap and indecently assault another woman and he was formally found not guilty of these charges.

Richard Hebbert of the Crown Prosecution Service said that, because the defendant had been deemed unfit to stand trial, the jury had not been asked to decide whether he was guilty or not guilty, but just whether he had committed the acts with which he had been charged.

He said: "The criminal proceedings have yet to take place as and when the defendant is deemed fit to stand trial.

"That will determine whether he is guilty or not guilty."

Man jailed over 'cab fall' death

Ioannis Revenikiotis had cruised the streets looking for a woman

An engineer described as "a menace to women" has been jailed for 11 years after a 20-year-old travel agent fell to her death from his moving car.

Ioannis Revenikiotis, 29, of School Crescent, Dewsbury, was found guilty at Sheffield Crown Court of the kidnap and manslaughter of Stephanie Hammill.

Ms Hammill mistook his Mercedes for a taxi on a night out in Wakefield with her fiance in November 2003.

She jumped or fell from the car fearing she would be sexually assaulted.

As the guilty verdict was announced in court, Revenikiotis, originally from Greece, showed no emotion, but Miss Hammill's relatives shouted "Yes" and punched the air in the public gallery.
She only felt able to escape by taking her life in her own hands and jumping out of your moving car into the path of oncoming traffic
Trial judge, Mr Justice Wilkie


Her parents, Brian and Jane Hammill, said they took "some small comfort" from seeing Revenikiotis jailed.

"We can never forgive him for what he did," they added. "We hate him and there are no words that can properly described how badly we feel towards him."

"His disgusting and selfish actions robbed us of our beautiful daughter."

Fiance James Garland said: "The shock of losing Stephanie so suddenly left me feeling like I had been cut in half.

"It makes me sick to think that someone would do what he did that night."

Stephanie Hammill and James Garland were planning their wedding


Miss Hammill had been trying to flag down taxis with her boyfriend James Garland in the early hours of 29 November 2003 when the Mercedes pulled up.

The car sped off with Miss Hammill's leg still sticking out of the open rear door, leaving Mr Garland alone on the pavement.

Terrified that she was going to be sexually assaulted, Miss Hammill somehow got out of the moving Mercedes as it was leaving the city and was then hit by a taxi coming in the other direction.

'Terrifying ordeal'

The judge, Mr Justice Wilkie, said: "The court has heard and accepts that Miss Hammill was a well-liked and loved young girl, enjoying life, with much to look forward to.

"You, however, saw her as an opportunity for sexual contact.

"In desperation for female company, you ruthlessly acted without any regard for her.

"By your impulsive and selfish behaviour, you subjected her to a terrifying ordeal, driving her past her own home towards the countryside.

"She only felt able to escape by taking her life in her own hands and jumping out of your moving car into the path of oncoming traffic."

"I am satisfied, not only from the events of that night but also from your conduct towards women in the past, despite your undoubted intelligence and talent, you are a menace to women, and such conduct can have devastating and unpredictable consequences."