Man jailed for sexual and physical abuse in St Helens
Main article content
A man from Haydock who subjected his victim to years of sexual and physical abuse was jailed yesterday (Monday 12 January).
Alan Earwaker, aged 35, from Haydock has been jailed for nine years after pleading guilty to controlling and coercive behaviour and rape offences.
As well as a prison sentence, Earwaker was also handed an indefinite restraining order against the victim and an indefinite notification requirement.
The victim reported several incidents to Merseyside Police. Earwaker was then arrested in June 2025 and charged with rape, controlling and coercive behaviour, stalking, assault by beating, intentional strangulation, criminal damage, threats to kill, public order and common assault.
Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Inspector Greame Kehoe said: “Earwaker abused, threatened, stalked and sexually assaulted his victim.
“Despite his horrific crimes she bravely reported these incidents to our officers and gave several lengthy statements that ensured his prison sentence.
“I would like to praise the courage and dignity shown by the victim throughout the investigation and court proceedings.
“I hope this sentencing shows and reassures the public how seriously the courts take these offences and how Merseyside Police is completely committed to protecting anyone from violence and sexual abuse.
“Anyone who has been a victim of a sexual offence, is concerned for the safety of someone they know or suspects someone to be engaging in this criminal activity, should come forward and speak to us.
“We have a team of dedicated staff who will expertly and compassionately deal with your reports, and we will do everything we can to bring offenders to justice.
“We urge anyone who is a victim of any form sexual abuse to please report this to police, as we have specially trained officers who will treat you with sensitivity and compassion.
“We take all such reports extremely seriously, and in addition, work with partner organisations such as Victim care Support Service and RASA who are there to support victims of this crime.”
To report a sexual offence you can call 101 where you will be spoken to by specially trained officers or you can pass information to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. In an emergency, always call 999.
If you have been a victim of sexual assault or rape, you can access specialist support services, which are free of charge and available to anyone. You do not need a referral or to have reported an incident to Merseyside Police before you access these specialist support services.
These services can support you in a variety of ways, including offering a confidential discussion if you are thinking of making a police report, but are unsure what that involves and would like to discuss it.
If you do decide to report to Merseyside Police, you will receive support throughout the investigation, court process and beyond.
You can choose to make an anonymous report through the Sexual Assault Referral Centre called Safe Place, or the Independent Sexual Violence Advisor service, rather than coming directly to Merseyside Police.
With no police involvement, a specialist doctor at Safe Place can examine you to check that you are ok and look for DNA evidence, which they will store to support your case. This gives you the option of making a formal police report at a later time, if you choose to.
Support is also available in Liverpool, Sefton and Wirral, from Rape and Sexual Abuse Support (RASA) Merseyside who are available on 0151 558 1801 and, in St Helens and Knowsley, by the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre (RASASC) Cheshire and Merseyside who can be contacted on 01925 221 546 or 0330 363 0063.
If you do not require immediate police assistance, then you can report rape and sexual assault via our website here:
Support is also available through the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Victim Care Merseyside service: Home: Victim Care Merseyside
We recently launched our Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) campaign to put the voices of women and girls at the heart of our work to tackle VAWG. You can find out more about the campaign here: www.merseyside.police.uk/vawg