Eight men who found themselves behind bars after what they did to women
This list include men who subjected women to horrific physical and emotional abuse
Hundreds of men walk through Liverpool Crown Court having abused and attacked women. Victims at the hands of these men are often traumatised and have long-lasting scars following their ordeals.
Not only do they have to go through the trauma of being interviewed by officers, many of them also give evidence in court and relive their ordeals over and over again. One man subjected a woman to a series of vile assault over the course of their relationship.
He would later go on to punch the victim in the face as their tiny new born son lay in his cot. Another abuser left his victim thinking she was "going to die" as her ex-boyfriend strangled her. Many of the victims who were abused by the men in the list were former partners.
This is not an exhaustive list, however we have included recent and prominent cases. Here are eight men who all women in Merseyside need to know about.
Neil Jones
A thug attacked his girlfriend as she recuperated in hospital after giving birth to their baby and stalked her from a fake Facebook account under the pseudonym "Bobby Firmino". Neil Jones subjected his partner to a series of vile assaults over the course of around two years, including repeatedly attacking her while she was pregnant with his child.
The youth club volunteer's "despicable" behaviour then continued within hours of her giving birth, having punched her in the face as their tiny son lay next to her in his cot. Jones, of Saltergate Road in Dingle, was with is former girlfriend for around two years, although their relationship was said to have "changed" after he lost his job in November 2022.
Jones admitted engaging in controlling or coercive behaviour, stalking involving fear of violence and making threats to kill. Appearing via video link to HMP Liverpool wearing a grey Berghaus tracksuit top, he was jailed for 30 months and handed a 10-year restraining order.
Nathaniel Lockie
Nathaniel Lockie subjected a woman to vile abuse over a period of many months has been jailed for eight years. The 36-year-old of Station Road, in Southport, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday, February 14, after he was found guilty of a sexual assault, assault, and stalking causing fear of violence.
Lockie was arrested as part of an investigation into his actions towards a woman. Liverpool Crown Court heard how Lockie threatened the victim, would call her up to 200 times a day and assaulted her on one occasion.
In a victim personal statement read in court, the woman said: “I have nightmares. These can be extremely intense and I wake up crying, gasping for breath. I often get flashbacks and several things will trigger me. I’m on medication because I find it difficult to sleep. The whole ordeal has been mentally torturing."
Darren Hesketh
Darren Hesketh subjected his long-term partner to years of abuse. Hesketh, from Sutton Leach in St Helens, was jailed for three years and six months at Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday, January 30.
The 57-year-old pleaded guilty to charges of controlling and coercive behaviour and was later sentenced for his crimes. Following the sentencing, Detective Constable Lauren Baker said Hesketh "traumatised" his former partner and abused her telling her to kill herself.
In a statement, she said: “We are committed to tackling any form of abuse or violence against women or girls. The victim was in a long-term relationship with Hesketh. Over the course of the relationship, he has traumatised and abused her telling her to kill herself.
“Thankfully Hesketh pleaded guilty, and he was sentenced quickly which saved the victim the ordeal of having to go through the legal process or relive the experience in court by way of a trial. We hope this sentence sends out a clear message that we will not tolerate any violence or abuse against women and will use our powers to bring people to justice.
"We will also ensure that victims are given the support and action that is required at their time of need.”
John McCabe
A young woman said she thought she was "going to die" as her ex-boyfriend strangled her. John McCabe, of Clock Face in St Helens, entered a relationship with the victim, who was 17 at the time, in November 2023.
Liverpool Crown Court heard during this short period, the 36-year-old's victim had been subjected to a torrent of abuse, including violence resulting in varying levels of injury, threats, controlling behaviour and verbal abuse. During one instance, McCabe had threatened suicide if the victim left him, before climbing on top of her and putting his hand over her face.
He had a lit cigarette in his hand at the time, resulting in her receiving a burn. Another violent attack involved the victim sustaining a black eye after McCabe had seen a text message from an ex-partner's family member on her phone and he violently lashed out.
For weeks following the assault, the victim had to try and cover up the injury with make-up every time she left the house, with McCabe frequently pressuring her to make sure enough was applied to cover the injury, fearing questions would be asked regarding how she sustained it.
Incidents of coercive and controlling behaviour also occurred during their relationship, with McCabe making derogatory comments about her weight and appearance, despite the 36-year-old being well aware she struggled with these issues. Even after their relationship concluded, McCabe bombarded her with text and video messages, begging to take her back and claiming she was causing him mental anguish by not answering his calls.
Everything came to a head in July last year when, after a short break in their relationship, the pair were in bed following an argument, when McCabe climbed on top of her and put both hands around her neck, began to strangle her – shouting "I am going to kill you".
The attack lasted around 20 seconds, with the victim saying she remembered thinking she was "going to die" and being unable to call for help due to the pressure on her neck. This attack left the victim with swollen glands, with her still feeling pain days after the assault. It was at this point the victim had had enough, telling McCabe she wanted a further breaking in their relationship, with him leaving the house.
McCabe was jailed for two years and three months (27 months) at Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday, January 16 after he pleaded guilty on the day he was to go to trial.
Jason Paul
Jason Paul dragged his frightened girlfriend across the floor and held her hostage in her own home until she agreed to take him back. The 35-year-old terrorised his girlfriend for a year as she repeatedly attempted to break up with him due to his violent and obsessive behaviour.
He threatened to share naked pictures of her, stalked her, and subjected her to a terrifying phone call threatening to "stab her, drive his car into her house and kill her son". His campaign of terror only came to an end after he was arrested in September 2023.
He appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on January 12, where he pleaded guilty to threats to disclose a private sexual photograph, assault by beating, intentional strangulation, stalking, and sending electronic communications with intent to cause distress or anxiety. Paul, of Hunter's Way, Slough, was sentenced to a total of 40 months in prison, and made a restraining order banning him from contacting the woman in future.
Roy Croft
Roy Croft, 47, subjected his now-ex partner to a campaign of abusive and controlling behaviour during their year-long relationship. This escalated into violence while the couple were on holiday in Tenerife in May 2024, when Croft grabbed the woman by the neck and held her down on the bed.
Liverpool Crown Court heard on January 22 that Croft terrorised his girlfriend and assaulted her in front of her two young children. The couple then separated – but Croft, of Rock Ferry, showed up at the woman's house with flowers and sweets for her children on August 1 last year.
He turned abusive and as the woman attempted to barricade herself and her children inside, but Croft forced his way in, grabbed her hair and dragged her out of the bedroom. He also grabbed her arms, causing bruising. The woman shouted at her children to call the police, but the youngsters were "so frightened they were not able to locate the complainant's mobile phone".
The woman told them to use the house phone, and Croft then fled, speeding off in his car. But he returned the following day while his ex-partner was at her mother's house, and entered the house, smashing up furniture and electronics and scrawling offensive slurs on her garden wall. The estimated total cost of the damage was around £20,000, the court heard.
The woman then sought help from Birkenhead family court, and Croft was given a non-molestation order banning him from contacting her. But on September 5 he approached her in the Everlast Gym in Croft Retail Park, Bromborough, and told her he was sorry.
Croft was sentenced to 28 months in prison for the controlling and coercive behaviour, assault by beating, criminal damage, with a further two months for breach of a non-molestation order, totalling 30 months behind bars. He also passed a restraining order banning him from contacting his ex-girlfriend.
Liam Cain
Liam Cain was found unanimously guilty of murdering his girlfriend Courtney Boorne by a jury at Liverpool Crown Court after one hour and nine minutes of deliberations. She was heard screaming out of the window of the couple's 14th storey flat on Quarry Green Heights in Kirkby moments before police discovered her lifeless body on a bed inside, having been strangled to death aged 20.
Liverpool Crown Court previously heard that Ms Boorne had phoned her mum Cheryl at around 3.30pm on December 23, 2022. During this call, she told her mother "if she didn't hear from her within an hour to call the police, because something was going on".
Around an hour later, a neighbour rang 999 reporting that she could see a woman in an apartment opposite "screaming and climbing onto the window ledge". She was also heard saying "please".
Another witness also called the police to "report a female shouting out of the window, screaming, shouting 'call the police, he's choking me'". Officers then attended the top floor property "very quickly" and had to force entry upon their arrival shortly before 5pm. They discovered Ms Boorne unconscious on a bed in the bedroom with "visible marks to her neck".
She was rushed to Aintree Hospital, but was pronounced dead at 7.02pm. A post-mortem investigation later found that she had suffered a cardiac arrest "because of the asphyxia, the strangulation, the smothering of her by this defendant".
Cain was arrested after being found "crouched down, leaning on an armchair in the living room" with "scratch marks" on his head and face. The 19-year-old, from Anfield, had sent a text to his dad saying: "I love you the world, everyone. I'm so sorry. Tell everyone."
During his trial, Cain callously attempted to blame his victim for the vicious assault. He claimed that he had acted in self-defence after Ms Boorne had attacked him, first hitting him in the head with a plant pot before setting about him with a brush and a knife. However his account presented glaring inconsistencies.
Cain, of Skipton Road in Walton, was sentenced to life imprisonment in July 2023 and was told he must serve a minimum of 17 years before he can be considered for release.
Alex Thompson
"Powerfully built" Alex Thompson, 38, viciously punched and kicked his girlfriend, causing life-threatening internal bleeding, in the early hours of March 31, 2023. It was not the first time the dad-of-two had attacked a female partner, as in 2017 he repeatedly punched another girlfriend in the face, and in 2021 he shoved a woman to the ground, causing injuries.
He denied causing grievous bodily harm with intent, but was found guilty following a trial in September, and appeared for sentence at Liverpool Crown Court on October 24 2023. Sentencing Thompson, Judge Andrew Menary said: "Prior to the night, you and (the woman) had been in a relationship for 14 months, and like all relationships, it had its ups and downs, with arguments to do with ex-partners and jealousy and insecurity.
"On March 31 you both went to a local pub in Warrington where you both drank alcohol, and went back to your house. Although it had been a pleasant evening to that point, there was back home another argument which resulted in you going to bed alone and (the woman) sleeping on the sofa.
"At around 2am she woke up and, feeling cold, she decided to join you in bed. When she went into the bedroom, and without any warning at all, you then launched yourself at her and began to viciously assault her. In the bedroom and hallway you repeatedly punched and kicked her to the face and body, despite her pleas for you to stop because she feared you were going to kill her. You are a powerfully built man and violence like this was bound to cause serious harm."
Thompson yanked out a clump of the woman's hair before punching her again in the abdomen, causing serious internal injuries. The judge said: "Your behaviour towards her and to the police after the attack was disgraceful. Police bodycam footage showed someone who was determined to fight and show violence to anyone who seemed to disagree with him."
He handed down a 11-year extended sentence to protect the public and "any potential future partner" of Thompson. Extended sentences are only imposed when a court has found an offender is dangerous, meaning an extended licence period is required to protect the public from risk of serious harm. This means Thompson, of Payne Close, Great Sankey, Warrington, will serve a custodial term of seven years, with a further four years on licence, when he will be under strict supervision.
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The judge said: "The most serious aggravating factor is your previous convictions for domestic violence. 22 offences, many of these motoring offences, but more recently for disorderly behaviour, for assaulting a police officer, and most importantly two offences of battery in 2017 and 2021 against former partners."
