Woman's wounds were 'life-threatening' after ex-boyfriend stabbed her at Whiteley workplace, court hears
Stab wounds sustained by a woman in a “frenzied” attack by her ex-partner could have killed her without medical treatment, a court has heard.
Anwar Ashraf, 38 and previously from Southsea, is on trial at Winchester Crown Court for the attempted murder of Carla Skeites at 3600 Parkway in Whiteley, at roughly 9am on April 30 last year.
As previously reported, Miss Skeites was stabbed 17 times. Ashraf has pleaded guilty to wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and possession of a knife, but not guilty to attempted murder.
This morning (Tuesday, March 24) the court heard from forensic physician Professor Jason Payne-James, who examined Miss Skeites’ injuries and medical records at the request of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary.
He concluded that of the injuries sustained, at least one of the wounds were life-threatening, and that Miss Skeites could have died had it not been for the medical treatment she received from paramedics and hospital staff.
Among her injuries were an abdominal wound that had punctured the cavity and underlying liver, two knife wounds below the left breast, two wounds to the back of her chest and additional stab wounds to her left arm - consistent with someone raising their arm to try and defend themselves.
Miss Skeites also suffered at least one broken rib in the attack.
Professor Payne-James said: “[There was] life-threatening bleeding into the right lung cavity. Even single stab wounds have the potential for fatality. That’s because of the lung collapse.
“The person cannot breathe and sometimes their breathing stops altogether. The other reason is the larger blood vessels in the cavity itself.
“It’s often just a matter of luck - without medical treatment it may be fatal.”
The nature of Miss Skeites’ injuries, combined with the sharpness of the knife recovered by police, led to Professor Payne-James concluding that a combination of “moderate” and “severe” force had been used.
He added: “The force required to penetrate skin, even with a sharp blade, is still expected to be moderate force.
“Two ribs had been broken by the penetrative wounds. That means that for those penetrations, severe force must have been used.”
Speaking to Ashraf’s barristers, Professor Payne-James explained that without wounds being documented at the scene, he had to rely on the reports of medical practitioners, X-rays and CT scans - and did not review Miss Skeites’ wounds in-person.
He said: “In this case, the medical evidence is quite clear on the nature and form of the injuries. The details of some may be lacking, but I don’t think there is any major misinterpretation possible.”
Ashraf’s defence is that he only intended to scare Miss Skeites, rather than kill her.
(Proceeding)