Uni of Liverpool criminology student jailed for 10 years for sexually assaulting two women

A student at the University of Liverpool has been jailed for sexually assaulting two female students.

Ewan Blair, 20, was found guilty of multiple counts of rape and sexual assault at Liverpool Crown Court following two separate incidents in the autumn term of 2023.

He was sentenced to 10 years in jail on February 5th.

The criminology student also had previous convictions for assault at the time, and several students in connection to him had reported past instances of misogynistic behaviour.

Ewan Blair was arrested on October 1st 2023 following reports of an incident in which he became physically and verbally aggressive towards a female student in a bar in Liverpool city centre.

He then then forcefully persuaded the woman to take him back to her student accommodation, where he sexually assaulted her and left.

The victim reported the incident to police authorities, and the university were subsequently informed.

Two weeks after, Ewan Blair began speaking to another female student in the smoking area of his accommodation, who was waiting for a taxi.

He invited the woman into his bedroom, where he then forcefully raped her multiple times before he allowed her to leave.

The police were contacted the following day and the student was then arrested and questioned in the custody of Merseyside Police. He insisted that the sexual encounters with both women were consensual and that he hadn’t used force or violence.

Ewan Blair was charged with five counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault, one count of assault, false imprisonment, intentional strangulation and causing a person to engage in sexual activity without their consent.

He denied all charges during trial at Liverpool Crown Court on 9th December 2024.

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On 19th December, the jury found him guilty of four counts of rape against one of the victims, one count of sexual assault and one count of assault by penetration. They found him guilty of one count of sexual assault against the other victim. He was acquitted of the remaining charges.

On February 5th 2025 at Liverpool Crown Court, Ewan Blair was sentenced to 10 years in jail.

The Crown Prosecution Service also successfully applied to the court for restraining orders to be imposed to prevent him from being able to make any contact with the female victims in the future.

In a statement to the court, one of the women said: “After the assault I felt a loss of control – I felt like I was no longer myself. No longer in charge of my body, my emotions or my thought. The violation of my personal space and my body has led to constant anxiety, nightmares and a deep sense of vulnerability”.

The other victim said: “I have concerns for my future after the most difficult sixteen months of my life. I am trying to take things one day at a time and lean on those family members and friends who know what happened to me, whilst my mental health is at an all time low.

“I worry that I will always feel like this and that it will never go away. I just desperately wish this had never happened to me”.

Wendy Newton, a specially trained prosecutor with the Rape and Serious Sexual Offences unit at CPS Mersey-Cheshire, said: “Ewan Blair is a dangerous sexual predator. He befriended women and then subjected them to serious sexual assaults.

“It appears that Blair’s attitude to women in general was extremely disturbing and he seems to have believed that violence towards women was something that was acceptable. Their feelings didn’t matter at all.

“These women have spoken of the violation and trauma they have felt since the incidents. But they have also spoken of their determination to rebuild their lives and carry on.

“The Crown Prosecution Service would like to pay tribute to them and we hope that this successful prosecution will help them in their journey forward”.

If you or someone you know has been affected by this story or any of the issues mentioned, contact Rape Crisis online here for a free confidential chat helpline.