Man jailed following an investigation into controlling and coercive behaviour

Wednesday, December 24, 2025

The man pictured is Karl Atkinson and he is danger to women.

He is now off the streets following our investigation into his coercive and controlling behaviour against two women.

Atkinson came to our attention in June 2022 when the first victim bravely came forward to report his abhorrent, controlling behaviour towards her.

When Atkinson (pictured below) and his victim first began a relationship in July 2019, he presented as a nice, caring person.

However, after a matter of months the real Atkinson came out. Atkinson was unemployed and demanded money off the victim to fund his cocaine and heavy alcohol use – stating that if she did not give him the money he would ‘go out and rob somewhere’. This left the victim unable to pay her rent for eight months.

People would approach the victim telling her that Atkinson owed them money, and she would pay off the debts, feeling that she had no option because they knew where she lived and she was afraid of what would happen.

As soon as Atkinson moved into the victim’s home in Accrington, he began to isolate her from her friends and family. If she did go out he texted her, wanting to know how long she would be and what she was talking about.

He accused her of having an affair and demanded that she give him access to her phone.

Atkinson used her Facebook account to send a message purporting to be from her stating that she had been sleeping with ‘her best friend’s boyfriend’.

If she was on the phone he insisted that she put the call on loudspeaker so he could hear what was being said.

Atkinson followed his victim around the house videoing her and would show people those videos, which she found embarrassing and degrading.

If there were male visitors to the house Atkinson would insist that she looked at the floor rather than at them, telling her that he was convinced that she would sleep with any man who came to the house.

As well as smashing things in the victim’s house, Atkinson was also physically abusive towards her.

On one occasion he hit her in the face while she was holding her child. He spat at the victim and strangled her on a number of occasions – to the point that she thought she was going to die.

While all this was going on, he told people that she was being violent towards him.

When Atkinson and the first victim separated a the start of 2021, he started a relationship with the second victim. He was again charming with her at first, but she quickly realised he was a ‘nasty piece of work’. He constantly accused her of cheating and assaulted her on a daily basis from March 2021. As well isolating her from her friends and family, Atkinson took hundreds of pounds from her, again leaving her unable to pay her bills.

Following a trial, Atkinson, 34, of no fixed address, was found guilty on two counts of engaging in coercive and controlling behaviour following a trial at Preston Crown Court in September of this year.

He was also convicted of an unrelated affray and possession of a bladed article, which resulted from an incident in Darwen in January 2024.

He appeared back in the dock at Preston Crown Court last Wednesday where he was jailed for six and a half years. Indefinite restraining orders were also imposed.

In an impact statement to the court, the second victim wrote: “Once I started to speak about what had happened I realised just how much I had been through. I was naïve and afraid and when I look back these were some of the very reasons that I believe Atkinson chose me. A single Mum with my own home and someone who was desperate to be loved and have someone to share life with. He preyed on all of this and used it to his advantage. I can see now that all that he wanted was somewhere to live free of charge and money for drugs and alcohol. The Karl I first met who was charming and kind cannot be the true person, it is a way to get himself where he needs to be and then the real Karl shows himself. It is most definitely made worse by the alcohol and drug taking and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

“Atkinson’s behaviour towards me has had a huge impact on me emotionally. I was broken when he finally left and very low. I relied heavily on my parents and friends to pick me back up and find some confidence to go about my daily life again. I had never been in a situation like it before in my life and I hope that I never find myself there again. I had lived in fear for months and felt that I was treading on eggshells in my own home. I was constantly fearful that he would take his own life or hurt me.”

In an impact statement to the court, the first victim wrote: “I am praying that in time I recover from this ordeal and find a way to move forward with my life. Atkinson is not the first man to treat me badly and subject me to abuse but one thing that I have made sure of is that he will be the last – this process has at least shown me that I deserve better and it is better to be alone than in a relationship with an abuser.”

DC Claire Scott, from East CID, said: “Karl Atkinson is a cowardly bully who targeted vulnerable women in order to physically, emotionally and financially abuse them.

“He is someone who presents a clear danger to women due to his appalling and warped attitudes towards them and has shown no remorse, blaming the victims throughout. I welcome this sentence and the protection it gives the public.”

If you or somebody you know is being abused you can report it to us via 101, or 999 in an emergency. For help and support visit https://noexcuseforabuse.co.uk/