A police officer flew into a jealous rage and tried to kill his girlfriend in a Manchester hotel room after she told him she no longer wanted to be with him.
Lancashire Police officer James Riley, 28, strangled Ellie Moxham for about two minutes, before leaving her for dead in a city centre Premier Inn and fleeing to Bradford.
The couple had been together for a few years and bought a house in 2021 but their relationship was marred by Riley’s ‘anger, aggression and jealousy’, Manchester Crown Court heard. As reported by Manchester Evening News, he had persuaded Ms Moxham, a PHD student, to attend a gig at the Apollo in Manchester and stay the night at the hotel, after drinks and food earlier in the day.
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Riley had hoped the city stay would rekindle their relationship but Ms Moxham had no intention of reconciling with him. That night, Ms Moxham had told her new man that she loved him and wanted to be with him.
Riley became aware that she was sharing texts with her new lover when they returned to their hotel room just after 11pm, on November 10, 2022. Riley then launched a brutal attack.
“You became consumed by uncontrollable anger and a jealous rage, and you attacked her with murderous intent,” Judge Patrick Field KC told him.
After strangling her for about two minutes, Riley put a plastic bag over her head because he ‘could not stand to look at her’, the court heard. At 11.15pm, before calling 999, he rang his parents and told his father: “I’ve killed Ellie and I’m going to kill myself. I just wanted to say goodbye.”
His mother called the police after Riley said he’d ‘strangled’ Ms Moxham. Then only 12 minutes later he called for an ambulance, before fleeing and abandoning her.
Ms Moxham was unresponsive when paramedics arrived, and she was rushed to Manchester Royal Infirmary and placed in an induced coma. Riley later took a taxi and asked to be driven to Bradford. He was dropped off at a petrol station off the M606 motorway.
(Image: GMP)
Prosecutor Alex Leach KC told the court that he arrived at his parents’ home at 3.45am. His mother alerted the police that he was there and his father locked the door.
But Riley locked himself in the bathroom and then climbed out of the window. Police caught him at 4.09am.
Ms Moxham regained consciousness the following day at 12.30pm. Riley, from Preston, eventually pleaded guilty to attempted murder and has now been jailed for 16 years.
The judge ruled he was a ‘dangerous’ offender, and said he posed a risk to any women he forms relationships with in the future.
Ms Moxham, a PHD student at Lancaster University, suffered a serious brain injury and has continued after-effects including memory loss and frequent headaches. She bravely stood up in court during Riley’s sentencing hearing and revealed the psychological trauma her ordeal has caused.
“He was also a police officer, so you carry a certain level of trust that they will not cause you harm,” she said. She claimed that during their relationship Riley subjected her to a ‘campaign of undermining and criticism’ and would issue ‘angry outbursts’ over minor points including cooking and cleaning.
“I couldn’t do anything right,” she said. “I became a shell of my former self. At times he made me feel so low and unconfident, I perversely felt I deserved to be treated that way.”
Defending, David James said Riley has a ‘tough existence’ in prison, given his former role as a police officer. “Mr Riley knows he has let down everyone in his life,” the barrister said.
“He knows he has let his family and friends down. He knows he has let the police force and his police colleagues down. He wishes to apologise to Ms Moxham’s family, he knows he has let them down. He does wish to publicly apologise to Ms Moxham.
“Ms Moxham did nothing wrong. Mr Riley knows she is entitled to pursue whatever life that she wants to do so. He does wish to say he is truly sorry. He wants Ms Moxham to know that she will never hear from him again.”
Mr James said Riley admits that leaving Ms Moxham severely injured in the hotel room was an ‘act of cowardice’. Riley will have to serve two-thirds of his sentence behind bars. He has already been sacked by Lancashire Police.
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After the hearing, Nicky Moore, a Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West, said: “James Riley violently attacked the victim in a jealous rage, causing lasting physical and psychological damage. Although he claimed he instantly regretted what he had done, instead of staying to face the consequences of his actions, he attempted to evade arrest by fleeing to another part of the country.
“Despite the victim being unable to recall what happened to her because of memory loss caused by her injuries, the CPS and Greater Manchester Police worked closely together to build a strong case including CCTV footage and expert medical and forensic evidence. The strength of the evidence meant Riley had no option but to accept his guilt.
“I can only hope the victim in this case will be able to move forward knowing Riley will be spending a significant amount of time behind bars for his actions.”
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