Louis Martin, a 41-year-old convicted rapist, has been sentenced to 27 months in prison for controlling and coercive behaviour, assault, and failing to comply with sex offender notification requirements. The case, heard at Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday, revealed a pattern of manipulation and violence that spanned several months.
New relationship built on lies
Martin, of Wheatfield Road in Cronton, began a relationship with a 26-year-old woman in February 2026, telling her his name was Louis Bonner. Despite her stating it was not serious, he frequently stayed at her Wirral home, where her six-year-old daughter lived. In March, she woke to find Martin looking through her phone and accusing her of seeing other men. He later admitted to having been in prison but claimed it was for unrelated matters.
After Googling his name, she discovered news articles about his 2006 rape conviction. She recalled 'feeling faint' and feared for her daughter's safety. When confronted, Martin said he knew what she had found and offered to leave, but he could not accept the end of the relationship.
Relentless harassment and threats
Prosecutor Derek Jones described the contact as 'relentless.' Martin turned up at her house, contacted her sister, and added her friends on social media. He threatened to kick her door in and said he would kill everyone with her if she did not comply. On April 26, while she was out in Liverpool city centre, he demanded her location and sent messages saying, 'Leave or I will kill everyone with you.'
He later drove her home and stayed overnight. She allowed him inside out of fear for herself and her daughter. He threatened to climb in via scaffolding if she did not let him in. In messages to her sister, he said, 'I'm obsessed with her. I'm not going to leave her alone. If she thinks she can get away from me, she's got no chance.'
Assault in front of her daughter
On May 4, Martin arrived at her home, banged on the door, took her phone, and disposed of it in Cheshire. A member of the public returned it. He then gave her a new iPhone and SIM card, seemingly to erase her contacts, and insisted on driving her to collect her old phone. He snatched it, kicked her, grabbed her by the back of the neck, and held her head down in front of her daughter. He was arrested on May 8.
In a victim statement read to the court, she said: 'From the beginning, I made it clear I didn't want anything serious. His behaviour quickly became controlling and intrusive. I struggle to get through daily tasks that once felt normal. I barely sleep, usually only two or three hours per night. When I do, I relive everything in my head, waking up exhausted.'
Martin's criminal history
Martin has five previous convictions for nine offences. In 2006, he was jailed for 11 years for the gang rape of an 18-year-old woman. He and two co-defendants tricked her into going to his flat, where he and a 17-year-old raped her while a third attacker forced her to perform a sex act. She was beaten with a lamp and suffered extensive injuries. In 2017, he received three years and four months for assault and controlling and coercive behaviour after forcing his then-girlfriend to work in a lap dancing bar and rendering her unconscious.
Defence and sentencing
Defending, Peter White said Martin suffered a 'cardiac episode' after arrest, underwent heart surgery, and was guarded by armed officers in hospital for three weeks. White argued that although Martin's offending was aggravated by previous convictions, there had been no repetition of the index offence. He said Martin was 'in a bad place' and neglecting his health, but was now making progress in custody.
Martin pleaded guilty to controlling or coercive behaviour, assault, and failing to comply with notification requirements. Appearing via video link from HMP Liverpool, he was sentenced to 27 months and handed a 10-year restraining order. Recorder Richard Pratt KC said: 'She made it plain to you that she did not want to have any form of commitment with you. You refused to accept that. This is classic controlling and coercive behaviour and was accompanied, on many occasions, by threats of violence. That was a serious and unpleasant assault, made all the worse because it was in the presence of her daughter.'
