Andrew Davies, the serial rapist known as the 'Coronation Street rapist', died of natural causes in prison in early March, aged 69. The Prison Service confirmed his death on 28 February 2026, stating that the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman will investigate, as with all deaths in custody.
Davies, who also used the names Andrew Longmire and Andrew Barlow, was serving 13 life sentences for a series of rapes committed mainly in Greater Manchester during the 1980s. He targeted women alone in their terraced homes, often after waiting for husbands or fathers to leave in the morning. He also struck in Cheshire, Staffordshire, Lancashire, and South Yorkshire.
Release and recall
Davies was released in 2023 after 34 years behind bars, but was recalled just six weeks later for breaching his licence conditions. He had been taken to a probation service hostel by police escort on March 6, 2023, following his release. At the time, it was assessed that the risk he posed was not manageable in the community.
He appealed against his recall in June 2024, but the parole board refused his application in July that year. A panel decided he 'would present a very high risk of a contact sexual offence at this time' and that his 'risk of serious harm towards other people was considered to be very high'.
Victim reaction
One of his victims, raped at knifepoint in her own bed in 1987, told the Manchester Evening News: "It's a relief... but it isn't. I still relive what he did to me. It is a very difficult feeling to handle."
A Prison Service spokesperson said: "These were despicable crimes, and our thoughts remain with the victims of Andrew Davies."
Campaign to keep him locked up
The prospect of his release had angered victims and their families, who campaigned with the help of Manchester MP Graham Stringer. Stringer called the recall 'another failure of the Parole Board' and 'institutional failure of the highest order'.
Former Justice Minister Dominic Raab had asked the Parole Board to reconsider its decision to release Davies, describing his offences as 'despicable' and saying his thoughts remained with the victims.
Crimes and sentencing
Davies received 11 life sentences in 1988 for raping 11 women, plus an additional 56 years for other offences. In 2010 and 2017, he received two more life sentences for rapes committed in 1981 and 1982, linked to him through DNA technology. He was dubbed the 'Coronation Street rapist' because most victims were attacked in their own terraced homes in the north of England.
During the 1980s manhunt, he evaded police at Leeds railway station and shot at two officers when finally arrested in Bebington, Merseyside. The officers were not injured, and he was later convicted of their attempted murder.
