The cause of death of serial rapist Andrew Davies, dubbed the 'Coronation Street rapist', has been confirmed as natural causes. Davies, who also used the names Andrew Barlow and Andrew Longmire, died on 28 February 2026 at HMP Moorland, a category C prison near Doncaster, aged 69. He had been serving 13 life sentences for a spree of rapes committed across northern England in the 1980s.
Deaths in custody investigated
A Prison Service spokesperson said: "Andrew Davies, previously called Andrew Barlow and Andrew Longmire, died on 28 February 2026. As with all deaths in custody the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman will investigate." The confirmation brings a complex legal saga to a close, but for victims, the emotional toll remains.
One of his victims, who was raped at knifepoint by Barlow in her own bed in 1987, told the Manchester Evening News: "It's a relief... but it isn't. I still relive what he did to me. It is a very difficult feeling to handle."
Crimes spanning a decade
Davies, from Bolton, struck mainly in Greater Manchester but also in four other counties: Cheshire, Staffordshire, Lancashire, and South Yorkshire. He targeted women alone in their terraced homes, often waiting for husbands or fathers to leave in the morning. Two attacks took place in the street, earning him the moniker 'Coronation Street rapist' due to the typical setting of his crimes.
He was given 11 life sentences in 1988 for raping 11 women, plus an additional 56 years for other offences. In 2010 and again in 2017, he received two more life sentences for rapes committed in 1981 and 1982, linked to him through advances in DNA technology. As he had already surpassed his original 20-year tariff imposed in 1988, just two more years were added to his sentence in each case.
Release and recall
Davies was released in March 2023 after 34 years in prison, but was recalled just six weeks later for breaching his licence conditions. He was taken to a probation service hostel by police escort on March 6, 2023, but his behaviour led to an immediate return to prison. At the time, it was assessed that the risk he posed was not manageable in the community.
His recall angered victims and their families, who had campaigned to keep him behind bars with the help of veteran Manchester MP Graham Stringer. In April 2023, 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."
Parole appeal refused
Davies appealed against his recall at a hearing in June 2024. In July 2024, the Parole Board announced his application had been refused. A panel decided he "would present a very high risk of a contact sexual offence at this time" and added: "His risk of serious harm towards other people was considered to be very high."
The prospect of his release had previously been delayed after then Justice Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab asked the Parole Board to reconsider its decision. Raab described Barlow's offences as "despicable" and said in January 2023: "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."
Victims' families speak out
A relative of a woman Barlow raped in her own home in Greater Manchester in 1987 said in May 2023: "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."
The daughter of a woman raped 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 goosebumps 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."
Police hunt and arrest
Davies was sought by police in the 1980s over 11 of the rapes. During the hunt, he evaded police at Leeds railway station and later shot at two officers when he was finally arrested in Bebington, Merseyside. The officers were not injured, and Longmire was later convicted of their attempted murder.
A Prison Service spokesperson added: "These were despicable crimes, and our thoughts remain with the victims of Andrew Davies."
