A man who tried to kill his girlfriend after she caught him sending messages to other women on his phone app has been jailed for 20 years
Michael Cosgrove aged 46 of Livingston Avenue, Wythenshawe, was found guilty of attempted murder and intentional strangulation at a hearing back in February.
A few weeks before the incident, the victim discovered that Cosgrove was messaging other women and trying to meet up with them.
They stayed together but arguments ensued and on the night of August 25 2024, they went to a gig together and had an argument.
When they returned home, things turned violent and Cosgrove strangled the victim on three separate occasions, the last time to the point of unconsciousness.
During the attack, neighbours heard screaming and called the police.
Cosgrove was heard shouting “I am going down for this, you are going to die. We are both going to die.”
Officers arrived and forced entry and the victim was found on the bed. Cosgrove jumped out of the bathroom window to escape after the attack.
He returned to the house the next morning and was chased by an officer stationed outside, before he was found hiding in the boot of the victim’s car. Cosgrove declined to answer questions in his police interview.
In a victim impact statement read out in court, the victim said: “When I was in hospital I felt like I’d ruined his life, even though he did such awful things to me.
“He’s never had the decency to admit what he’s done to me and that really upsets me. The level of control Michael had over me made me feel bad and made me not go into work.
“He knew how terrified I was, I begged him to stop attacking me. I was so scared I tried to jump out my bedroom window as I thought I would be better off with broken legs or a broken back because he is going to kill me.
“I can’t get my head around being in this sort of position, I know I’m still in shock and I don’t know when that will leave hit me.”
Katie Nicolson, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Michael Cosgrove sought to take the life of someone he claimed to love in a brutal and vicious attack. His victim believed she would die, and that is what he intended to happen.
“In this case it was clear: strangulation was this coward’s method of choice to kill. But unfortunately, strangulation as a tactic for abusers to exert control and power over their victims is far from unusual.
“This conviction is testament to the work achieved across the criminal justice system to improve how we bring together medical evidence, witness accounts and prosecution strategies in domestic abuse cases.
“I cannot commend the victim enough for her bravery and taking the opportunity to raise awareness so others have the confidence to report these crimes knowing they will be taken seriously.”
