Man sentenced to 28 years for multiple rapes, sexual assault and domestic abuse
Date published: 03 April 2023
Andrew Ellison
A man who subjected women to "years of sustained abuse" has been jailed.
Andrew Ellison, 46, of Searness Road in Middleton was arrested in March 2022 on suspicion of rape, false imprisonment, harassment, threats to kill, grievous bodily harm, actual bodily harm, and sexual assault by penetration after police received information from a woman in her 30s.
The victim had been involved in a domestically abusive relationship with the suspect and had been the victim between 2017 and 2022.
Following Ellison's arrest, enquiries were made into his domestic history which unearthed a further four women who had been domestically abuse dating back to 1995.
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", Police said.
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.
Ellison’s abuse continued through the 2000s and 2010s until he met his next partner, where the pattern continued. This partner again described how he quickly became obsessive and controlling. Violent attacks followed, with Ellison entering into ranting tantrums where he would try to smash her phones or kick her to the ground.
The victim's work colleagues spotted black eyes and strangulation marks, with Ellison quick to turn this around and would blame these incidents on the victims calling them ‘Mad’ and ‘hysterical’. This abuse intensified, with victims suffering deeming sexual assaults and constant verbal abuse.
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.
“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.
“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.”
Ellison 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, he was sentenced to 24 years in prison plus a four-year extended licence period for violent and sexual offences against the victims
If you or someone you know has been a victim of rape or sexual assault, report it to the police by calling 101 or 999 in an emergency.
You can also report information and crimes on the GMP website 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 more information on rape and serious sexual assault and the support services available to you, please click or tap here
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