Police have issued a statement after a former police officer admitted attempting to murder a woman in a Manchester hotel. James Riley, 28, from Preston, Lancashire, has today (November 7), pleaded guilty to trying to kill the woman on November 10 last year.

Riley, who served with Lancashire Constabulary up until January this year, had previously denied the offence and was due to face trial at Manchester Crown Court next week but changed his plea at a pre-trial review hearing. He was further remanded in custody by Judge Patrick Field KC after he entered his plea via videolink from HMP Forest Bank in Salford.

Greater Manchester Police previously said that officers were called to a report of concern for the welfare of a woman at a hotel on Upper Brook Street, Manchester, at about 11.30pm on November 10, 2022. Emergency services attended and the woman was taken to hospital.

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Riley, from Jepps Avenue, will be sentenced on January 12, 2024. He was dismissed by his employers in January this year, it is understood.

Lancashire Constabulary has now issued a statement about the former officer. In the statement, the police force said that Riley was off duty when the offence took place and his victim sustained life-threatening injuries.

Deputy Chief Constable Sacha Hatchett said: “People will quite rightly be shocked and appalled to hear the detail of James Riley’s crime. It is utterly abhorrent that a police officer should act in this way. Riley’s behaviour clearly fell very far short of what we demand of our officers and staff, both on and off duty.

“The vast majority of our staff are honest, hard-working people who just want to serve their communities, but when our employees fall below the standards we and the public expect, and erode the trust we depend upon to police effectively and with legitimacy, we will always act.

“Riley was immediately suspended from duty and our Professional Standards Department immediately launched an investigation into his conduct, which ran alongside the criminal investigation conducted by Greater Manchester Police.

“The investigation by our Professional Standards Department, assisted by Greater Manchester Police, led to an accelerated misconduct hearing which took place on 30 January 2023 where James Riley was dismissed from the force without notice.

“He was added to the College of Policing barred list, which means he will no longer be eligible to be employed or appointed into policing.

“We utterly condemn the actions of former officer James Riley, and our thoughts are with the victim and those affected by this extremely serious and concerning crime.”