Stephen Rooney has been jailed for six years after a campaign of abuse against three former partners, including an incident in Turkey where he stripped his girlfriend naked and pushed her out of their hotel room. Liverpool Crown Court heard that the 36-year-old, of Wynnstay Avenue in Lydiate, turned 'possessive and physically violent' within months of starting a relationship with the victim in May 2025.
The Turkey holiday attack
Rooney used 'emotional blackmail' to persuade his partner to join him on a pre-booked holiday to Turkey, telling her his seven-year-old daughter would have no one to go swimming with because of his injured leg. Once abroad, he took her phone and locked it in a safe. After excessive drinking and drug use, he stripped her of her clothes and pushed her out of the hotel room, forcing her to seek help from strangers. Later, he slapped and punched her, grabbed her by the head and pinned her against a wall until she lost consciousness. On another occasion, he punched and slapped her again, then inserted his finger in her mouth and 'fish hooked' her, causing a cut. She eventually escaped and returned home alone.
Earlier violent incidents
Before the trip, Rooney had sprayed a nitrous oxide canister at her face, leaving a burn on her forehead. During a stay in Scotland, he yanked her from a chair, kicked her on the floor, and strangled her for five to 20 seconds before throwing her clothes off a balcony. On July 21, he smashed her mobile phone, shattered a vodka bottle and tried to stab another man with the broken glass. He also had 16 previous convictions for 40 offences, including an assault on a former partner in Spain in 2015 and multiple offences against another ex-girlfriend between 2017 and 2018, such as controlling and coercive behaviour, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and perverting the course of justice. That victim was slapped, punched, bitten, strangled, smothered with a pillow, and had her hair pulled while holding their daughter.
Court proceedings and sentencing
Prosecutor Nick Cockrell read a victim statement in which she said: 'The abuse I've experienced has deeply affected every part of my life. What happened in that short period of time left lasting emotional scars and anxiety I still have to work through to this day. I've had to rebuild my life piece by piece.' Defence barrister Gerry Baxter told the court that Rooney had taken courses in prison including mentoring, personal development, leadership and management in football, and food hygiene, adding: 'He does seem to be trying to turn his life around.' However, Judge Gary Woodhall said: 'I harbour real concerns that your apparent admissions are genuine. They are at complete odds with the way that you conducted yourself during the trial and your reaction when the jury returned its verdicts. I am satisfied that you sought to manipulate the trial process.' Rooney was convicted of three counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, intentional strangulation, making threats with an offensive weapon, and criminal damage. He received a six-year prison sentence plus an additional year on extended licence, and a 12-year restraining order.
