A notorious serial rapist who attacked a string of women in their own homes is again trying to secure release from prison. Andrew Barlow, now 67, was dubbed the “Coronation Street rapist” after his string of horrific sex assaults on women and girls in Bolton and across the region in the 1980s. Barlow, once Britain’s most wanted man, was released from prison in March last year, only to be recalled six weeks later, and he has now launched an appeal to try and win his freedom.
A spokesman for the Parole Board said: "We can confirm the parole review of Andrew Barlow has been referred to the Parole Board by the Secretary of State for Justice and is following standard processes. "Parole Board decisions are solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public if released and whether that risk is manageable in the community.” Andrew Barlow was first published in 1988 (Image: PA) Barlow, who lived in Bolton and Oldham at various points of his life, had been serving 13 life sentences at the time of his release.
His most recent life sentence was handed down in 2017 when he pleaded guilty to raping a 15-year-old girl at knifepoint in Great Lever in January 1982. The decision to release Barlow was met with widespread condemnation early last year, including from Blackley and Broughton MP Graham Stringer. But he was only a free man for a matter of weeks in March 2023 before breaching his licencing conditions.
Barlow was given another life sentence in 2017 (Image: GMP.