Man found guilty of attempted murder after stabbing ex-girlfriend 17 times at her Whiteley workplace
A man who stabbed his ex-girlfriend 17 times at an office in Whiteley has been found guilty of attempted murder.
On April 30 last year, Carla Skeites was stabbed multiple times by her former partner after he drank at least “half a bottle” of vodka and took a taxi to her place of work at 3600 Parkway.
Anwar Ashraf, 38 and previously from Southsea, pleaded guilty to wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and possession of a knife, but denied a charge of attempted murder. He maintained that he only intended to scare Ms Skeites with the knife, rather than try to kill her.
At Winchester Crown Court this afternoon (Thursday, March 26) after trial spanning four days, the jury ruled that he had intended to murder her.
Evidence in court heard how their relationship had ended in the weeks prior, but that Ashraf - described in court as an alcoholic - was unable to accept that it was over. He became “obsessed” and would bombard her phone in an attempt to get in contact with her.
On the day of the attack, Ashraf told the jury he had drunk “half a bottle” of vodka in the morning, and took a kitchen knife from his wife’s home. They had separated but not legally divorced, and he was temporarily staying with her while he sought alternative accommodation.
Having tried to call Ms Skeites multiple times, Ashraf took a taxi to her place and work, with CCTV showing him walking back and forth in front of the building.
When he attacked her in the lobby, Ashraf stabbed her in the abdomen, under her left breast and in her back, with 17 wounds in total. The court heard how Ms Skeites was left with “blood pooling all around her” and forensic physician Professor Jason Payne-James deemed that moderate and severe force had been used in the attack.
At the time, Ashraf believed Ms Skeites had been cheating on him, and when police arrived said: “What would you do if your partner cheated on you, how would you react?”
When giving evidence, Ashraf told the court that he had no recollection of the attack, but that he wasn’t drunk either. The defendant had been struggling with his mental health, and in the immediate aftermath of the attack said “what have I done” as he was restrained by another man in the building.
Ashraf will be sentenced on Friday, June 5.