Man jailed for controlling and coercive behaviour following a domestic abuse investigation

A Tameside man has been jailed for seven counts of rape, assault, and controlling and coercive behaviour following investigations by detectives in the Criminal Investigation Department.

Two women courageously came forward to report instances of rape, physical violence and controlling behaviour that they endured at the hands of the 22-year-old man.  

The perpetrator was physically aggressive and forceful over a long period of time with the one victim and caused significant psychological damage.

Luke Cartwright of Balmoral Drive, Denton, has been sentenced after a trial at Bolton Crown Court to 15 years for seven sexual offences, including rape and coercive control against two women.  

He was initially arrested in February 2024 after reports were made that he abused and sexually assaulted a woman on multiple occasions from May 2022 to 2023. 

The victim bravely gave testimony in court about two separate incidents in which the perpetrator raped her in her sleep, and another where he forced himself on her, abused her and physically pinned her to the bed and wardrobe. 

Whilst enduring both physical and verbal abuse, the victim also recounts times at which Cartwright behaved in a controlling manner, such as checking through her phone every night, constantly checking her whereabouts, and hitting her in retaliation during arguments regarding his behaviour. 

In July 2024, a second woman came forward against the same perpetrator, reporting that Cartwright had raped her in her friend’s bedroom where she was staying to help with childcare.  

Her friend’s partner had let Cartwright into the house, and the two men spent the night drinking. They later went upstairs to sleep, and Cartwright found the victim. 

She slept on a mattress beside her friends’ bed, along with their son, where Cartwright, who was heavily intoxicated, lay with her, forcefully assaulted her and raped her. Upon telling her friends what he had done, officers were called and arrested him at the scene, and CSI were able to forensically recover the mattress for further evidence.   

In November 2024, Cartwright was charged with two counts of rape and a single count of assault by penetration. 

The bravery and resilience of these women meant that detectives could ensure both victims were safeguarded from further abuse and had access to the systems available to get them the support they need. 

Both victims shared their experiences through victim impact statements, which were read to the court upon sentencing, outlining the abuse and trauma they suffered.  

Parts of each statement (below) demonstrates the long-lasting impact coercive control and domestic abuse can have. 

Person 1: 

“The anxiety that I would feel about how he would treat me frequently caused me to physically throw up.

"I know that I am not to blame, but I am still so frustrated with myself for letting him treat me like this. I don’t know how could I just freeze when he hit me or accept it when he tried to control me. When I think of that, I feel like I was so weak and there is real shame that I am still trying to work through.” 

Person 2: 

“When I would finally get to sleep, I would be constantly woken up by what happened. It was not a nightmare as such, but it was like I kept going back to that day. It kept replaying in my head, like I was there again. 

"The main feeling, I have is anger. I am angry it happened. I am angry with myself that I feel I didn’t do enough to stop it. I know I said no and I pushed him off, however, I was still trying to be nice because I was scared. I sometimes blame myself for what happened to me, which also makes me feel angry.” 

Detective Superintendent Jen Tattersall, GMP’s lead for domestic abuse, said: “Controlling and coercive behaviour is a massive priority for GMP along with all types of violence against women and girls which includes rape. 

"This case shows a really good investigation which highlights the complexities of that type of investigation and shows how much we take priority around our response to domestic abuse (DA). 

"Cartwright is a dangerous offender. This conviction and sentencing is a fantastic result and demonstrates GMP’s dedication towards DA. We've invested in it, created dedicated DA teams, and we are prioritising it to raise the solved outcome rate for victims of controlling and coercive behaviour. 

"Controlling and coercive behaviour (CCB) can creep up on people, they think they are in a healthy relationship, and it slowly transforms into CCB, which makes it a challenge for victims to come forward and for policing, so GMP are trying to drive forward our overall response to domestic abuse and CCB.” 

Not all violence against women and girls starts as physical abuse, and instances may go unreported as people in controlling relationships often do not recognise the harm they face. 

To help in preventing this behaviour, we are supporting the Mayor of Greater Manchester’s ‘#IsThisOk?’ campaign, which aims to raise awareness around the signs of coercive and controlling behaviour. 

Det Supt Jen Tattersall continued: “We are doing everything we can to get the GMCA's #IsThisOk? campaign message across the force, to our frontline officers, and victims to recognise the signs of CCB, such as comments about clothing, scrutinising their partners, controlling who they're seeing and when, and controlling money. 

“We encourage people who see victims of CCB and notice these signs to stand up and report this behaviour to protect women and girls and raise further awareness." 

More information on the ‘#IsThisOkay: This is not a Game, Boy’ campaign can be found here: #IsThisOk? 

Police are urging victims of domestic abuse to call 101, report the offence on their website, by using the Live Chat service. Always call 999 in an emergency. 

Whether you choose to report to police, or not, please know that support is out there. 

You can contact the below local support organisations who will help you. 

Greater Manchester domestic abuse helpline Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm, except bank holidays. For anyone experiencing domestic abuse. Includes a language service and advice for the LGBT community. 

End the Fear includes information on local help all over Greater Manchester.