SENTENCING STATEMENTS
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HMA v Aaron David Hunter
Dec 9, 2025
Lord Harrower made the following remarks in court:
“Aaron David Hunter, you have been found guilty of two charges of raping your former partner, one of which is aggravated by reason of the fact that you intended to cause her physical or psychological harm or were indifferent as to whether such harm would result. You were also convicted of assaulting her to her injury, in a separate incident, by placing your hands around her neck, and of two further charges of sexual assault against other women.
Each charge of rape involved your taking advantage of your partner at a time when she was incapable, through the consumption of alcohol, of giving consent. On each occasion, she woke up experiencing an intense pain that she had reason to infer could only have been caused by penetration. In texts exchanged after the second incident, you made statements amounting to an admission of rape. Your explanation that you did so only in order to be allowed back into the house was so lacking in plausibility that the jury will have had little difficulty in rejecting it.
The two further sexual assaults of which you have been convicted involved predatory and humiliating attacks on other young women, who had the misfortune to have you as a work colleague. Although they might be regarded as comparatively minor offences, they will have caused considerable psychological harm to your victims, as their impact statements make clear.
I have taken account of everything said on your behalf today by Mr Robertson, including your lack of any significant criminal record, your positive work history, and your parental responsibilities. However, as you will be aware, having regard to your level of culpability and the degree of harm caused, a significant custodial sentence is inevitable. Although the social worker recommends that consideration be given to post release supervision, her professional assessment of risk does not support the imposition of an extended sentence.
Had I been sentencing you separately for these offences, I would have sentenced you to 6 years’ imprisonment on an in cumulo basis in respect of charges 1 and 2, the two offences of rape committed against your former partner, 6 months of which would have been attributable to the domestic abuse aggravation. I would have sentenced you to a period of two years’ imprisonment in respect of charge 4, the charge of assault. I would have sentenced you to a further 1 year in prison for each of charges 7 and 9, the offences of sexual assault committed against the two other women.
That comes to a total period of 10 years, which would be disproportionately high. I have therefore decided to sentence you to a period of imprisonment of 7 years and 6 months in cumulo in respect of all five charges, 4 months of which is attributable to the domestic abuse aggravation. That sentence will be backdated to 14 November 2025, when you were remanded in custody. You will be subject to the notification provisions of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 for an indefinite period.
I will make a non-harassment order such that you may not contact, approach or communicate with the complainers, or attempt to contact, approach or communicate with any of them, either directly or indirectly, for an indefinite period. This order does not prevent any communication with a third party that may be necessary in order to facilitate the exercise of any right of contact with a child.”
9 December 2025