It was late afternoon early evening on a summer day in 1986. A carefree teenager was walking through a park with the family dog.
Thirty seven years later what happened next remains vivid in her memory. She believes she may have had a lucky escape from a man who would become known as Greater Manchester's worst rapist.
By that year, Andrew Longmire, who is to be released from prison this month, had already attacked women across the north during a campaign of raping spanning from 1981 to 1984. He would begin a second spree of offending from August 1987 until his arrest in January 1988. Now 66, he has since changed his name to Andrew Barlow.
The then-teenager was ideal prey for Longmire. In January 1982 he had raped a 15-year-old girl at knifepoint in Great Lever, Bolton. He went into the girl's home at around 8.45am, when she was alone in her bedroom, after both her parents had left the the house.
Recalling a terrifying encounter, the woman, who was walking through the north west park in 1986, said: "I was walking near a small lake on a path which was landscaped with dense rhododendron bushes on each side. This man was walking towards me from the opposite end and was staring at me.
"I was thinking 'I have my dog with me I will be okay, I will just get past him'. As he got near he stopped. I had the dog lead hanging around my neck like a scarf. He tried to pull it off me. I instinctively pulled the other end of the lead and whipped it out of his hand. I was on full alert, I knew I was being stalked.
"He was acting in a very predatory way. Refusing to avert his gaze from me. I had a horrible feeling that he intended to do me harm.
"I yanked the lead out of his hand and he looked startled and ran off. With the benefit of hindsight I think he was someone who knew how to attack someone but in a controlled environment - but this was impulsive and he aborted it.
"No one was around at the time and I thought he was not a nervous person, but someone who was thinking 'this is my prey'. I gave a description to police, long dark hair, and really piercing eyes.
"Not a word was said. He was completely silent. A made a statement to police who came to my house, and took it very seriously, but I heard nothing more. Recently I saw the images again of Longmire and thought 'that is the man who approached me', it absolutely matches his description, or he has a doppelganger.
"This man never broke his gaze at me for the whole 30 seconds. I am not a gazelle but I had the same instinct - this was an animal that was looking to attack me. I have not been traumatised like the women that bravely helped get Longmire convicted, but it did affect me. I have taught my daughter to not supress her instincts, and in such a situation to run."
The Parole Board has now confirmed Barlow's imminent release - but a summary of the reasons why he is being granted his freedom after 34 years in custody reveals he has already had a taste of freedom, on day release.
"I am astonished that he (Barlow) is coming out," the woman said. "I am very sad for the victims. How can anyone come to a conclusion that this man is not a serious risk? There is a lack of self-awareness by the Parole Board to think that the general public would fund this acceptable."
Barlow was given multiple life sentences in October 1988 after being convicted of 11 rapes, three attempted rapes, indecent assault, and using a firearm to resist arrest. His tariff was fixed at 20 years.
"In the decades that followed he was linked to more offending, as two previously unsolved cases were cracked thanks to advances in DNA technology. He received two further life sentences in 2010 for the rape of a woman in Sheffield in 1981 in front of her three-year-old child, and in 2017 for the rape of the Bolton teenager.
He was dubbed 'The Coronation Street rapist' as most of the victims were attacked in their own terraced homes, in the north of England - the majority living in Greater Manchester. Two of the attacks took place in the street.
He would spend days carrying out reconnaissance on his victims' homes to work out domestic routines, so he knew at what time husbands and partners would leave for work so he could attack women alone. He preyed upon teenagers and young mothers.
The decision to release him was made on November 30 last year - the eighth time his case had been reviewed by the Parole Board since the expiry of his initial 20-year tariff.
A Parole Board Decision Summary says: "In 2020, a panel of the Parole Board considered his case and recommended transfer to open conditions. This recommendation was accepted by the Secretary of State and Mr Barlow was transferred to open conditions in January 2021.
"Following that move, he had successfully undertaken periods of temporary release where he was escorted by a prison officer. The panel heard how well he was progressing in open conditions. In June 2022, Mr Barlow was moved back to closed conditions. After hearing from witnesses and Mr Barlow, the panel concluded that the evidence did not support the reasons for the transfer back to closed prison.
"The panel examined the release plan provided by Mr Barlow’s probation officer and weighed its proposals against assessed risks. The plan included a requirement to reside in designated accommodation as well as strict limitations on Mr Barlow’s contacts, movements and activities. The panel concluded this plan was robust enough to manage Mr Barlow in the community at this stage."
The panel also considered evidence from a prison service psychologist. A second psychologist commissioned on behalf of Mr Barlow recommended his release. The panel also considered a statement from a victim which conveyed the impact of Barlow’s crimes and the consequences of his offending.
The decision summary says that at the time of his offending, Barlow had been "thinking about sex a lot, thinking he had the right to have sex as and when he wanted and thinking it was acceptable to use sexual violence. He had a chaotic way of life, misused substances and struggled to control extreme emotions."
It adds: "Mr Barlow was not managing certain aspects of his personality and had unhelpful ways of thinking. He also demonstrated a willingness to use violence and weapons and did not care about the effects of his actions on others."
Its says his behaviour while in custody has been "good" for many years. He has obtained educational and vocational qualifications. He has completed accredited programmes to address sex offending. In 2002 he commenced treatment at the Fens Dangerous and Severe Personality Disorder Unit at Whitemoor Prison. He has also spent considerable time in a regime to help people recognise and deal with their complex problems.
The daughter of a woman who Barlow raped in Greater Manchester in 1987 has launched a change.org online petition calling for Barlow's parole to be halted. And a victim who he raped at knifepoint in 1987 has told the Manchester Evening News he should never be released. Blackley and Broughton MP, Graham Stringer has described the decision to release Barlow as a 'perversion of justice'.
Meanwhile the Chief Executive of the Parole Board has asked the National Probation Service to investigate why several of Barlow's victims were not told of his pending release and learned through a story in the Manchester Evening News.
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