Louis Simpson threatened to cut the woman’s face if she went to the police
Louis Simpson, 32, admitted harassment, intimidation, burglary, breach of bail, and criminal damage(Image: Merseyside Police)
A brazen “cuckoo” terrorised a woman and threatened to stab her dogs after taking over her home. Louis Simpson, 32, shacked up in the woman’s Anfield property and refused to leave after initially claiming he was simply waiting for a lift.
Simpson first met victim Denise Ryan in July 2023 as he was a friend of her next-door neighbour, and the mum allowed him to stay at her house for a few months. In April 2024, he asked Ms Ryan if he could wait inside her house for a taxi and she agreed, however several hours passed and she realised Simpson “had no intention of leaving her house”.
At Liverpool Crown Court today, December 15, Judge Ian Harris described how Simpson “ran to her bedroom, locked the door and simply would not leave her house.”
He said: “By April 18 you still hadn’t left, despite several requests. You had taken over Denise Ryan’s bedroom, causing her to sleep on the sofa. Every time she asked you to leave, you would often state, ‘I’ll stab everyone in here. I’ll stab the dogs’.
“You took Ms Ryan’s phone off her. She wouldn’t let you use it, so you took it while she was asleep and you used it as your own. You asked her for money. She agreed because she was frightened of you. You never repaid any of the money you borrowed.
“She was a vulnerable victim, and you were acting as a cuckoo in her house. You simply would not go.”
On July 18 2024, following an argument, Ms Ryan felt she could no longer live in her own home and went to stay with a friend. Simpson then used her mobile phone to contact her friend and told her if Ms Ryan did not return to walk her dog, he would stab it. He also threatened to burn down the house.
Around a week later, Ms Ryan’s son, Kieron Taylor, received a phone call from an unknown number, and a threatening voicemail from Simpson warning Ms Ryan not to talk to the police.
He said: “This recording goes to the police there’s nothing down for you lad. Do you know how silly your mother is phoning the police and making statements in my area? Lad I’ve got kids lined up waiting to do the gaff.
“If she wants to show this to police, sound, I’ll cut her face lad. But if she wants to sort it amicably between us and be an adult about it because she’s robbed me press then cool, not a f***ing problem.”
At around 2.30am on July 29, Simpson and another man attended Ms Ryan’s address in Anfield and knocked on the door. Judge Harris said: “You barged into the property, pushing Ms Ryan into the wall. You said you wanted your property back. You told the other man you would get your property and you directed him to wait with Ms Ryan in the living room. You grabbed an X-Box and Amazon Firestick from Ms Ryan’s son’s bedroom and ran out with it.”
Simpson, formerly of Sandringham Drive in New Brighton, was arrested on August 16 2024 and bailed on the condition he did not contact the victims.
He went on to breach his bail on April 15 2025, when he saw Kieron Taylor in Concert Square, Liverpool city centre, and approached him. He said: “You best not be going to court. It’s sorted with your mum, so you best not be going to court. Tell your mum that too.”
He was arrested again on May 10 and taken into custody, where he vandalised a CCTV camera and threw food around his cell, causing around £68 of criminal damage.
He pleaded guilty to harassment, two counts of intimidation, burglary, breach of bail, and criminal damage. Simpson, who has eight previous convictions for 11 offences, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court today, December 15, for sentence.
Brendan Carville, defending, said: “He has, in the past, had problems with drugs. The good news is he has a very caring family. His mother is willing to offer him accommodation when he is released. He’s a qualified chef but his father owns a tarmac business and offered to give him employment when he’s released.
“He has ADHD but other than that is perfectly healthy. He’s fit and able to do unpaid work. These are serious offences, I don’t detract from that. He does have some insight into what’s happened and the author of the pre-sentence report says he does appear to be genuinely remorseful.”
Sentencing Simpson, the judge said: “You told probation the offences were motivated by anger and frustration. You said you saw red and lost your temper. You say you not regret your behaviour and I have heard today there’s a prospect of employment.”
He said Simpson had intimidated and controlled Ms Ryan, then “tried to minimise his behaviour by saying he caused no physical harm” despite displacing the victim in her own home.
He said: “It’s clear that your behaviour caused a family rift between Ms Ryan and Mr Taylor. Both of them were your victims. You are assessed as showing an emerging pattern of aggressive and controlling behaviour in relationships, worsened by substance abuse.
“Your most recent sentence involved threats towards your former partner’s mother, including threats of serious violence. The books show a history of domestic abuse. You pose a high risk of serious harm to partners.”
He sentenced Simpson to a total of three years and nine months in prison. He also made two restraining orders banning him from contacting Ms Ryan and Mr Taylor for 12 years.