ANDREW BARLOW THE MAN FROM MANCHESTER BACK IN JAIL AFTER SIX WEEKS RELEASE
In a shocking turn of events, Andrew Barlow, also known as Andrew Longmire, the notorious serial rapist from Manchester, has been swiftly returned to incarceration just six weeks after his release from prison.Barlow, who was handed an extensive sentence of 13 life terms for his heinous crimes, was released after serving 34 years behind bars.
His recent re-imprisonment was prompted by a breach of his license conditions and concerning behavior that led authorities to conclude he now poses an unmanageable risk to the community.
On March 6th of this year, police escorted the 66-year-old from his release point to a Probation Service hostel in Manchester.
However, it was not long before he was recalled to prison, a decision that has sparked outrage among victims and their families.
The authorities cited his conduct and the assessment that his risk level could no longer be safely managed outside prison walls as the primary reasons for his re-incarceration.
The controversy surrounding Barlow’s release was intensified when the then Justice Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, Dominic Raab, intervened by requesting the Parole Board to reconsider their decision.
Barlow’s criminal history is extensive and deeply disturbing.
In 1988, he received 11 life sentences for raping 11 women, along with an additional 56 years for other serious offenses.
His crimes spanned across Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Staffordshire, Lancashire, and South Yorkshire, primarily during the early 1980s, with a series of attacks that earned him the nickname ‘The Coronation Street Rapist’ due to the majority of his victims being attacked within their own terraced homes in the north of England.
Most of his assaults occurred in the Greater Manchester area, with some taking place in the streets.
His criminal activities also extended to other parts of the North of England, with attacks recorded in Cheshire, Staffordshire, Lancashire, and South Yorkshire.
His spree continued until his arrest in early 1988, after which he was convicted and sentenced to multiple life terms.
The severity of his crimes was further underscored by the fact that in 2010 and again in 2017, advances in DNA technology linked him to rapes committed in 1981 and 1982, leading to two additional life sentences.
These new sentences were added because he had already exceeded his original 20-year tariff, with two more years tacked on for each of the new convictions.
Barlow’s criminal notoriety was amplified by media nicknames such as ‘The Coronation Street Rapist,’ reflecting the fact that many of his victims were attacked in their own homes in the Manchester area.
His crimes also extended beyond Manchester, with attacks in Cheshire, Staffordshire, Lancashire, and South Yorkshire during the early 1980s, and a series of assaults from August 1987 until January 1988, when he was finally apprehended.
Public figures and officials expressed their concern over his release.
Dominic Raab described Barlow’s offenses as “despicable” and emphasized that his crimes had profoundly affected dozens of women.
Raab stated, “My thoughts remain with the victims of Andrew Barlow, whose despicable crimes blighted the lives of dozens of women.
Public protection is my number one priority, which is why I’ve asked the Parole Board to reconsider their decision to release and I am overhauling the parole system to keep prisoners who pose a risk to the public off our streets.” Following Barlow’s return to prison, Manchester MP Graham Stringer voiced his frustration, condemning the decision as another failure of the Parole Board.
He said, “It is extraordinary.
I think this is another failure of the Parole Board to use common sense and protect the public from a very dangerous man.
They were warned by me and the victims.
This is institutional failure of the highest order.” A relative of one of Barlow’s victims, who was raped in her own home in Greater Manchester in 1987, expressed her outrage.
She said, “I took it on the chin in January and decided to get on with my life when Barlow was released — now this animal is back in our lives again.
We told the authorities and they didn’t listen.
Someone has to be accountable for this.
It will mean all the victims and their families are reliving the agony again like we had to in January when we tried in vain to stop his release.
We told the authorities he was too high a risk and we have been proven right.” Another victim’s daughter, whose mother was attacked by Barlow in the early 1980s, shared her shock at his quick recall to prison.
She said, “I was shocked when I heard that he was being recalled so soon.
But then when I thought about how evil and twisted he was when committing his crimes it doesn’t surprise me.
When the victim support officer told me I had goose bumps all over my body and then my eyes swelled up with tears, I was thinking who has he attacked this time.
The officer told me that he had not hurt anyone but that his behavior had meant an immediate recall to prison.
I am just pleased he has been monitored so closely as his behavior whatever it was could have escalated.” Barlow’s release was conditional, with strict license conditions designed to prevent further offenses.
The Parole Board outlined that he would be required to reside at a designated address, maintain good behavior, disclose any developing relationships, and report for supervision or appointments.
Additional measures included drug testing, GPS tracking, polygraph testing, and adherence to a curfew.
He was also restricted from contact with victims, limited in activities, and prohibited from entering certain zones.
These conditions aimed to mitigate the risk he posed and ensure ongoing monitoring of his behavior in the community.
