Man sentenced to 28 years in prison for rape, sexual assault, and other domestic abuse related offenses of five women in Greater Manchester

On Thursday 3 February 2022, officers received a catalogue of rape and domestic abuse disclosures from a woman in her 30’s in Middleton, Greater Manchester.

After officers conducted initial enquiries, it was established that the victim had been involved in a domestically abusive relationship with the suspect and had been the victim between 2017 and 2022.

A 45-year-old man was subsequently arrested on Thursday 31 March 2022 on suspicion of rape, false imprisonment, harassment, threats to kill, grievous bodily harm, actual bodily harm, and sexual assault by penetration.

Following his arrest, enquiries were made into the suspects domestic history which unearthed a further four women who had been domestically abuse dating back to 1995.

Andrew Ellison (01/04/1977) of Searness Road in Middleton, Rochdale was charged with several counts of rape, sexual assault by penetration, false imprisonment, threats to kill, harassment with fear of violence, exposure, actual bodily harm, attempt sexual assault by touching and criminal damage over a 25-year period against multiple victims.

On Friday 1 April 2022, Ellison pleaded not guilty to the charges at Manchester & Salford Magistrates Court where he was remanded to await trial.

Today (Friday 31 March 2023), Andrew Ellison has been sentenced to 24 years in prison plus a four-year extended licence period for violent and sexual offences against the victims.

Detective Constable Marshall Trower of GMP’s Rochdale District said: “Firstly, I want to acknowledge all five victims who suffered years and years of sustained abuse at the hands of this man. The last few months has been such a distressing process for them throughout this long and difficult investigation and trial.

“From 1995 to present day, Andrew Ellison terrorised, tortured, and abused these women. Within a few months of his relationships with these women, he would subject them to vile verbal and physical abuse and make these women believe that they were at fault. The abuse then escalated further and further so much so they were controlled and lost all confidence in themselves. They felt trapped in this cycle of abuse and felt extremely alone and vulnerable.

“All the victims spoke of how he was nice to them all for the first couple of months, but his obsessive and aggressive nature escalated rapidly, and he took his aggression out in the vilest of ways. One of the victims would be beaten with a specially engraved bat that had “Andy E” carved on it. Ellison would describe this as being his ‘Friend’ and would use this and horrific violence to control the victim, often forcing her to stay in rooms alone as punishment.

“Four years of violent and sexual abuse kept the victim too scared to leave until with the support of her friends she was able to keep him out of her property long enough to have the locks changed. This didn’t stop Ellison’s efforts at controlling his victims. He would return unannounced and try to force entry kicking down the front door and strangling his ex-partner.

“Ellison’s chain of abuse continued through the 2000’s and 2010’s until he met his next partner. Ellison had now mastered his manipulation and abuse starting like always being the passionate, loving caring partner. This partner again described how he quickly became obsessive and controlling. Violent attacks soon followed with Ellison entering into ranting tantrums where he would try to smash her phones or kick her to the ground.

“This victims abuse did not go unnoticed and work colleagues spotted black eyes and strangulation marks. Ellison was quick to turn this around and would blame these incidents on the victims calling them ‘Mad’ and ‘hysterical’. This abuse got worse with the victims suffering deeming sexual assaults and constant verbal abuse.

“I commend all the victims for their bravery throughout this investigation and for having the courage to report this information. Because of one woman’s report, we were able to unearth Ellison’s previous violent and horrific history of domestic abuse of his previous partners.

“Andrew Ellison’s crimes are horrific and his lack of remorse for all five women and their welfare is despicable. He is an extremely dangerous individual who fully deserves the sentence imposed on him today. I truly hope that the sentence of this dangerous individual brings some form of peace to all the victims and their loved ones.”

Chief Superintendent Nicky Porter of GMP’s Rochdale district and the Force Lead for Violence Against Women and Girls said: “Domestic Abuse has been described by survivors as mental torture, a feeling of being in a heightened state of alert, and the constant chipping away of oneself. We can only imagine the stress and torment this must cause. To live in your own home under such terrifying conditions cannot be acceptable in our modern society.

“From the outset DS Ruth Thompson and her team of detectives were determined to expose Andrew Ellison’s offending and investigate a pattern of abuse that he raged upon five survivors, from 1995 to the present day.

“Multiple Detectives from Rochdale’s Crime Investigation Department focused on this operation and dedicated their efforts to ensure all the victims receive justice. A skilled and specially trained interviewer conducted two separate interviews with Ellison’s victims covering nearly 14 hours of audio.

“Over 60 witnesses provided us statements with over 100 people being contacted across the North-West of England which provided our officers with a full range of information and data to be able to build a solid case against Ellison’s crimes.

“I truly hope this conviction goes someway in bringing justice for the women he abused. It’s also an opportunity to raise awareness and let survivors experiencing domestic abuse or who have been domestically abused know, that you are not alone, and we will support anyone brave enough to report it.

“All five women’s support throughout this investigation enabled us to locate more victims as a result of their bravery and as a result we have been able to sentence an extremely dangerous individual from our communities.

“To all perpetrators that believe that this is ok, our message is simple. We will relentlessly pursue you through the criminal courts and we will continue to approach Domestic Abuse as one of society’s most abusive and serious of crimes.”

Support Available

If you or someone you know has been a victim of rape or sexual assault, we encourage you not to suffer in silence and report it to the police by calling 101 or 999 in an emergency.

You can also report information and crimes on our website (www.gmp.police.uk) using the 'report' tool. Alternatively, you can report information anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

There are also lots of organisations and support agencies available across Greater Manchester that can help and provide support for you. For more information on rape and serious sexual assault and the support services available to you, please visit our support pages.

Support for Rape and Sexual Assault:

St. Mary's Sexual Assault Referral Centre - Manchester provides a comprehensive and co-ordinated 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.

Greater Manchester Rape Crisis - is a confidential information, support and counselling service run by women for women over 18 who have been raped or sexually abused at any time in their lives. Call on 0161 273 4500 or email [email protected]

Survivors Manchester - provides specialist trauma informed support to male victims in Greater Manchester who have experienced sexual abuse, rape, or sexual exploitation. Call 0161 236 2182.

Support for Domestic Abuse:

SafeLives.org.uk
Providing domestic abuse support and guidance.

National Domestic Abuse Helpline
Free 24-hour helpline, guidance and support for victims.

National Centre for Domestic Violence
Provides a free service that lets anyone who has recently suffered from, or been threatened with, domestic abuse apply for an emergency court injunction.

Victim Support
Free and confidential help to victims of crime, witnesses, their family and friends with 24-hour live chat and helpline available.

Women’s Aid Domestic Violence Helpline
Free 24-hour national helpline run by Women’s Aid and Refuge.