James Riley was sentenced to 16 years for attempted murder after pleading guilty to the offence (Image: Greater Manchester Police/SWNS)
James Riley, 28, strangled the woman ‘for at least two minutes’ until she passed out in the Premier Inn in Manchester city centre, prosecutors said.
After speaking to his parents for 11 minutes – and telling them he thought he’d killed the victim – Riley finally rang an ambulance while fleeing the hotel via a fire escape.
When medics arrived a the hotel – shortly after 11.30pm on November 10, they found the woman lying on the floor with clear signs of a brain injury.
She was taken to Manchester Royal Infirmary where she was placed into an induced coma and taken to intensive care.
She suffered a hypoxic brain injury which has caused memory loss, issues with concentration, difficulty processing information as well as fatigue and infrequent sleep paralysis.
Due to the injury, she was not able to recall the events in the hotel room.
CCTV footage released by police after his sentencing shows him trying to cover his tracks by withdrawing £250 from two cash machines and disposing of his phone.
His crashed car was later found abandoned and Riley was said to have ran from the scene and attempted to get on a bus, taxi and hitchhike back home to Lancashire.
He was arrested in West Yorkshire at 4.09am on November 11, 2022, the morning after the attack, after a search involved three police forces.
The CPS said the relationship between Riley and the victim had been deteriorating for some time, but he still wanted to reconcile.
Evidence – James Riley boarding a bus. (Image: Greater Manchester Police / SWNS)
The pair had agreed they would attend a concert on November 10 as they had booked it when they were together.
They then returned to the hotel as previously arranged, but he flipped when his ex-girlfriend told him she had no intention of getting back with him.
Shortly after returning to the hotel, Riley became violent, and within 15 minutes had telephoned his parents stating that he thought he had killed the victim.
Medical evidence heard in court confirmed asphyxiation by way of suffocation or strangulation must have taken place for a period of more than two minutes.
Riley, of Preston, Lancs., had previously denied attempting to murder the woman but accepted his guilt at a pre-trial hearing at Manchester Crown Court last November 7.
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Today (Fri) he was jailed for 16 years by the same court.
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.
“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.”
Lancashire Police immediately suspended Riley and launched an internal investigation alongside the criminal probe by Greater Manchester Police.
This led to an accelerated misconduct hearing where he was dismissed from the force without notice. He has also been added to the College of Policing barred list.
Detective Sergeant Heidi Cullum, from Greater Manchester Police, praised the bravery of the victim.
She said: “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.
“As police officers the public rightly expect the highest standards of behaviour and integrity.
“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.
Detective Superintendent Zoe Mainey, head of professional standards at Lancashire Police, said: “Lancashire Constabulary is committed to tackling all forms of domestic abuse, safeguarding victims, and holding perpetrators of domestic abuse to account for their behaviour and crimes.
“We will not tolerate domestic abuse offending by any of our officers or staff, and will hold them to account both criminally and through our internal misconduct processes.
“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.”
