A FORMER police officer who strangled his ex-girlfriend and left her unconscious in a hotel room has been jailed for attempted murder.
James Riley, of Preston, Lancashire was sentenced to 16 years at Manchester Crown Court after pleading guilty to the offence.
The court heard that the 28-year-old, who was an off-duty officer with Lancashire Police, had brutally attacked his former girlfriend, PhD student Ellie Moxham, in a hotel room in Brook Street, Manchester on November 10, 2022.
Following the incident, he called his family before anonymously calling an ambulance and then fleeing the hotel.
Ms Moxham, who was unconscious when he left, was found by emergency services in a “life-threatening condition” and was later transferred to hospital in an induced coma.
She regained consciousness the following day, and has recovered since the attack, which left her with some long-lasting injuries.
After leaving the hotel CCTV captured Riley as he attempted to cover up the crime.
He used several types of transport to hide his tracks and direction of travel. First exiting the hotel in his car, he crashed it nearby and ran from the scene.
He then attempted to get on a bus, taxi and later to hitchhike back home to Lancashire.
CCTV imagery further highlighted Riley’s attempts to avoid being caught as he made two £250 cash transactions from different ATMs and later discarded his mobile phone to ensure he could not be tracked digitally.
“Following a wide-ranging search using a number of resources including Specialist Operations across three forces in the North West, Riley was located and arrested in the early hours of the following morning in West Yorkshire,” a Greater Manchester Police spokesperson confirmed.
Lancashire Police immediately suspended Riley and launched an internal investigation into his conduct which led to an accelerated misconduct hearing which saw him dismissed from the force without notice.
He has also been added to the College of Policing barred list.
James Riley has been jailed for attempted murderSpeaking following Riley's sentencing, Detective Sergeant Heidi Cullum from Greater Manchester’s Police’s Major Incident Team, said: “Firstly, I would like to commend the bravery of the victim who has throughout this case shown immense strength to tell her story.
“What happened to her on that night, by someone she should have been able to trust is unthinkable.
“We hope now she can move on with the rest of her life safe in the knowledge that he cannot commit this act of violence to anyone else whilst behind bars.”
She added: "As a profession we are all hurt by Riley’s actions, which can never be justified, and we are pleased he will now face the consequences.
"Collectively we remain committed to tackle all forms of domestic abuse, as well as safeguarding victims.
“We hope the public take some confidence that Riley’s actions do not reflect policing in anyway shape or form, with the vast majority being committed individuals focused on serving their communities and keeping them safe on a daily basis.”
Detective Superintendent Zoe Mainey, Head of Professional Standards from Lancashire Police, added: "We utterly condemn the actions of former officer James Riley, and our thoughts are with the victim and those affected by this extremely serious and concerning crime.”
She added: “James Riley’s behaviour clearly fell very far short of what we demand of our officers and staff, both on and off duty.
“Most of our staff are honest, hard-working people who just want to serve their communities, but when our employees fall below the standards we and the public rightly expect and erode the trust we depend upon to police effectively and with legitimacy, we will always act.”
