Serial rapist Andrew Barlow back in jail after breaching licence conditions

A serial rapist who attacked women across the North West is now back behind bars weeks after being released for breaching his licence conditions.

Andrew Barlow, formerly known as Andrew Longmire, was given 11 life sentences in 1988 for raping 11 women and an additional 56 years for other offences.

In 2010, and then again in 2017, he received two more life sentences after rapes he committed in 1981 and 1982 which were linked to him through advances in DNA technology.

Most of the attacks took place in Greater Manchester, but incidents were also found to have taken place in Cheshire, Lancashire, Staffordshire and South Yorkshire.

Barlow was released under licence on March 7 but has been recalled to prison for breach of his licence conditions.

Assessors, it's said, have concluded he cannot be managed in the community.

Relatives of the victims and those in Parliament condemned the Parole Board for their actions in releasing Barlow in the first place.

Manchester MP Graham Stringer described his release and subsequent re-arrest as 'institutional failure of the highest order'.

And the relative of a woman Barlow raped in her own home in Greater Manchester in 1987 said they had told the authorities he was 'too high a risk and we have been proven right'.

Under his licence conditions, Barlow, who's now 66, is barred from Greater Manchester. He was also told to show good behaviour, reside at a designated address, disclose developing relationships, and report to appointments. He also had to submit to an enhanced form of supervision including drug testing.

MP Stringer said: "It is extraordinary. I think this is another failure of the Parole Board to use common sense and protect the public from a very dangerous man. They were warned by me and the victims. This is institutional failure of the highest order."

A relative of a woman Barlow raped in her own home in Greater Manchester in 1987 added: "I took it on the chin in January and decided to get on with my life when Barlow was released - now this animal is back in our lives again. We told the authorities and they didn't listen."Someone has to be accountable for this. It will mean all the victims and their families are reliving the agony again like we had to in January when we tried in vain to stop his release. We told the authorities he was too high a risk and we have been proven right."I will like to sit down with someone from the Parole Board face to face and tell them what happened to our family because of Barlow - not submit an email like I had to in January."

The daughter of a woman whose mother was raped in Greater Manchester by Barlow in the early 1980s said: "I was shocked when I heard that he was being recalled so soon. But then when I thought about how evil and twisted he was when committing his crimes it doesn't surprise me."When the victim support officer told me I had goose bumps all over my body and then my eyes swelled up with tears, I was thinking who has he attacked this time. The officer told me that he had not hurt anyone but that his behaviour had meant an immediate recall to prison."I am just pleased he has been monitored so closely as his behaviour whatever it was could have escalated."

Then Justice Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister, Dominic Raab, had asked the Parole Board to reconsider its decision, leading to a delay in him being let out. He said in January: "My thoughts remain with the victims of Andrew Barlow, whose despicable crimes blighted the lives of dozens of women.

"Public protection is my number one priority, which is why I’ve asked the Parole Board to reconsider their decision to release and I am overhauling the parole system to keep prisoners who pose a risk to the public off our streets."

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice said protecting the public was their 'number one priority'. A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “Protecting the public is our number one priority. That’s why offenders are subject to tough licence conditions and when they breach them, we do not hesitate to return them to custody.”They added: "Andrew Longmire is being returned to custody today following a breach of his licence conditions. His re-release will be a matter for the Parole Board. He has not been charged with any offences."Our Victims and Prisoners Bill includes plans to reform the parole process, including giving Ministers a power to veto the release of the most dangerous offenders, including murderers, rapists and terrorists."The statement went on: "The former Secretary of State provided the Parole Board with a Secretary of State view opposing release; the Parole Board issued a provisional decision directing release."The former Secretary of State applied for reconsideration; the Parole Board rejected the application for reconsideration; and so the release decision became final. People convicted of violent sexual offences released from prison are managed on strict licences which can include residing at an Approved Premise and abiding by a curfew. They will also be subject to supervision which means attending meetings with a probation practitioner."If offenders are judged to pose an unmanageable risk in the community because they have breached their licence conditions, the Probation Service does not hesitate to recall them to prison to protect the public."

A spokesman for the Parole Board said: "The offender has not been referred back to us for a parole review and so we don’t have access to any information about him being recalled and therefore we don’t have comment at this stage."