21-Year-Old MMA Fighter Raped Students After Plying Them With Alcohol, Gets 17 Years

Charles Goodwin, a 21-year-old MMA fighter, reportedly raped and sexually assaulted three women at university accommodation in Liverpool and Manchester while he was on bail and being investigated for an earlier violent rape.

Goodwin was initially arrested for raping a woman in January 2020; however, he still went on to attack two others after being freed. He raped his first victim in Manchester three times in a "sustained attack" while in a taxi. As Liverpool Crown Court heard, Goodwin, a business management student, also tried to choke her during the attack. Goodwin of Hilbre Street, Liverpool, was jailed for 17 years.

Judge Garrett Byrne said, "A shocking aspect of this case, it seems to me, is that after you were arrested for those matters you were released, initially on bail, then released under investigation and you went on to rape (the second victim) and sexually assault (the third victim) twice. The fact you were under investigation for the first set of offences did nothing to inhibit you or cause you to stop, in fact the reverse is true."

According to the court reports, Goodwin's second and third victims were attacked in student accommodation in Liverpool. Byrne said part of Goodwin's "modus operandi" was to get his victims drunk to take advantage of their vulnerability.

"What was clear from all the evidence given by victims is that you had no care whatsoever as to whether or not they were consenting, their consent was a matter of complete indifference to you. You treated each of them not as a human being, deserving respect, but as a plaything or toy. You took the view once they were within your control you could do to them as you pleased." He ordered an extended license period of three years on top of his sentence.

Two of Goodwin's victims were present in court together with their family members. Prosecutor Matthew Curtis read statements from the women, one stated that she had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following the attack. One woman said in her statement, "I now feel any control I did have can be stripped away from me by the whim of a man who just wants to get what he wants." One also claimed that she had lost trust in people and avoided situations where she would be drinking with men.

Katy Appleton, defending Goodwin, said that the accused had a difficult relationship with his mother, which influenced his negative views towards women.

Goodwin was found guilty following a trial of four counts of rape, one count of assault by penetration, one count of attempting to choke, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and two counts of sexual assault. He denied 12 offenses, including six offenses of rape, attempted choking, two charges of sexual assault, two charges of assault by penetration, and assault.