Jury retires in attempted murder case after woman stabbed 17 times in Whiteley by ex-partner
The jury in an attempted murder case has retired to reach a verdict.
Anwar Ashraf, 38 and previously from Southsea, has been charged with the attempted murder of Carla Skeites, who was stabbed 17 times at 3600 Parkway in Whiteley on April 30 last year.
Ashraf has pleaded guilty to wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and possession of a knife, but not guilty to attempted murder. His defence is that he intended to scare Ms Skeites, rather than kill her.
Addressing the jury at Winchester Crown Court this morning (Thursday, March 26), Judge Paul Dugdale summarised the case before retiring the jury to deliberate.
He said: “The most important thing with this case is working out what Ashraf was intending when he stabbed Carla Skeites.
“The prosecution say that the stabbing was so severe that Ashraf must have intended to kill her. He does not have to prove his innocence
“Ashraf accepts that he deliberately stabbed Carla Skeites, but he does not accept that he deliberately intended to kill her. In evidence, he told us he didn’t remember the stabbing at all, not what his intention was. He said he had taken the knife with the intention of scaring Ms Skeites.
“It is very much a matter for you to assess.”
The jury has now retired to deliberate and reach a verdict. In most cases, jurors must reach a unanimous conclusion (12-0) of guilty or not guilty. If not unanimous and after a reasonable time, a majority verdict can also be reached, but Judge Dugdale reiterated that there is “no time pressure” on the jury.