Hamilton arborist Hamish Ahearn jailed after found guilty of rape

A Hamilton arborist kept raping a young woman because he “thought she might be keen”.

Hamish Ahearn, 28, was sentenced in the County Court on Wednesday to a minimum 12-month jail term after he was found guilty of rape. Picture: Supplied

A Hamilton tree lopper who raped a woman despite her pleas for him to stop has been jailed.

Hamish Ahearn, 28, was sentenced in the County Court on Wednesday to a minimum 12-month jail term after he was found guilty of rape.

Ahearn raped his victim in early-2021.

The victim told her assailant “no, please stop” but Ahearn kept violating her.

Ahearn, who was found not guilty of two further rape counts, continued raping the victim despite the young woman’s repeated pleas for him to “please stop”.

The fiend eventually halted his assault after the victim began crying.

Ahearn ejaculated and “got off” the victim.

Police arrested Ahearn who admitted to investigators he “decided to keep going because (I) thought she might be keen”.

The victim, in an impact statement read to the court, said she experienced “embarrassment and humiliation”.

The court heard Ahearn, of Hamilton, is a father of two who is expecting another child with his partner.

Ahearn, who has no prior convictions, has worked as an arborist since dropping out of high school, the court was told.

Judge Wendy Wilmoth accepted multiple references tended to the court which cited Ahearn as a “hardworking and reliable man” who “regretted what he did”.

Ahearn was jailed for a maximum of two years.