Liam Cowley, a 32-year-old man of no fixed abode, carried out a series of brutal attacks on a vulnerable pregnant woman in Liverpool. Having obtained a key to her front door, Cowley blackmailed her by threatening to inform social services that she had given him the key, which could result in her children being taken away. This coercion allowed him to enter her home uninvited on multiple occasions, often in the middle of the night, where he raped her without consent.
Prosecutor Martine Snowdon, opening the trial at Liverpool Crown Court, described how Cowley 'on a number of occasions just did what he wanted when he wanted in circumstances where she was not consenting to it, and he was repeatedly threatening and intimidating her.' One particularly harrowing incident occurred while the woman's children slept upstairs. Cowley entered aggressively, headbutting and spitting on her. Intoxicated, he demanded she cook him a steak, and upon her refusal, he punched her head and smashed her phone as she tried to dial 999 for help.
With no means to seek assistance, the victim fled the house screaming, but Cowley dragged her back inside, choking her until she blacked out. Upon regaining consciousness on the floor, he kicked her. Despite her pleas, revealing her pregnancy in hopes of mercy, Cowley threatened her further with a metal tube from a hoover, ultimately smashing the television instead. He then ripped her clothes, raped her twice, and placed knives nearby, telling her 'you know what’s going to happen next,' to which she responded in fear, 'I don’t know, you’re probably going to kill me.' Cowley replied, 'no, much worse.'
After falling asleep post-assault, the woman escaped with her children to a nearby mobile phone shop and contacted the police. Cowley was arrested and charged with multiple offences, including three counts of rape, four counts of intentional strangulation, and making threats to kill. He denied the charges but was found guilty on all counts at Liverpool Crown Court in July 2024, also pleading guilty to two counts of assault and one breach of bail.
Cowley had absconded before his initial trial in early 2024, fleeing to Norfolk where he worked at a bar under the alias Tommy Lee King. There, he began a relationship with a 19-year-old co-worker, during which he assaulted her multiple times, including strangling and punching her. This came to light after she discovered his true identity through social media and a friend's research following a hospital visit on 7 December 2024.
Sentencing was delayed from September 2024 after Cowley claimed conditions like OCD, ADHD, borderline personality disorder, and a brain injury, but investigations found no evidence. Defence counsel Graham Wilson noted Cowley's participation in prison courses and his belief in undiagnosed ADHD as a factor, though he did not accept guilt on the rape charges. On 10 December 2024, Judge [name not specified] sentenced him to 18 years' imprisonment with a five-year extended licence due to his dangerousness, totalling 23 years. The court recognised Cowley's efforts to address his behaviour but deemed the sentence lengthy given the severity of the offences.
This case was reported by the Liverpool Echo, with details from court proceedings at Liverpool Crown Court. Merseyside Police investigated the initial assaults.