A DENTON man described as a ‘dangerous offender’ has been jailed for 15 years after raping, assaulting and displaying controlling and coercive behaviour against two women.
Luke Cartwright was physically aggressive and forceful over a long period of time with one victim and caused significant psychological damage.
Now after a trial, the 22-year-old has been sentenced at Bolton Crown Court for seven sexual offences.
Cartwright, of Balmoral Drive in Dane Bank, 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.
That victim bravely gave testimony in court about two separate incidents in which he raped her in her sleep and another where he forced himself on her, abused her and physically pinned her to the bed and wardrobe.
She also recounted times 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 he had raped her in her friend’s bedroom where she was staying to help with childcare.
Her friend’s partner had let Cartwright into that 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, but 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 crime scene investigators 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.
Both victims shared their experiences through victim impact statements, which were read to the court upon sentencing, outlining the abuse and trauma they suffered.
One said: “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 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.”
The other stated: “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.”
After Cartwright’s sentencing, Detective Superintendent Jen Tattersall, Greater Manchester Police’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, GMP is supporting the Mayor of Greater Manchester’s ‘#IsThisOk?’ campaign, which aims to raise awareness around the signs of coercive and controlling behaviour.
Det Supt Tattersall added: “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 at: #IsThisOk?
Greater Manchester Police encourages any victim of domestic abuse to come forward to them by calling 101, reporting on its website, or using its 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.
People can contact the below local support organisations who will help.
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.