Overview

• Michael Cosgrove was sentenced to 20 years in prison and given a restraining order after a jury at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court convicted him in February of attempted murder and intentional strangulation.
• Jurors heard Cosgrove strangled partner Kerry Allan three times, threatened to kill her, and fled through a bathroom window before officers later found him hiding in the boot of her car.
• CPS Direct authorised attempted murder and intentional strangulation charges overnight, with the case then prosecuted by CPS North West.
• New CPS data show 2,395 strangulation or suffocation charges reached first hearings in Q4 2024/25 and 8,545 across 2024/25, with about 92% and 92% respectively flagged as domestic abuse.
• The CPS and specialist groups urged survivors to report offences, noting many victims show no visible injuries and that expert testimony, including from a forensic physician, was central to explaining the life‑threatening risks of strangulation.