Man sentenced for attempted murder of woman
Paul John Watts, 36, attacked the woman at Cinderford Close in Paulsgrove in Portsmouth last October.
The woman has has no memory of the assault and is still recovering from her injuries.
Watts, who will also serve an extended license period of five years, was found guilty at Portsmouth Crown Court on Tuesday.
Hampshire Constabulary said it was called out shortly after 15:10 GMT on 31 October after concerns were raised for a 37-year-old woman.
She was taken to Southampton General Hospital with "serious, potentially life-threatening injuries" and discharged from hospital earlier this year.
Police said during sentencing the judge told Watts that he left her bleeding and unconscious, and "left her for dead".
In a statement read to the court, her sister said: "She will never be the same again because of what Paul did that day, but with support from family and friends, her and her children will find their new normal.
"I have no doubt in my mind about how far she has come, the strength and courage she has shown throughout and that she will continue to progress and will not let what happened that day define her."
Senior investigating officer Elizabeth Brunt said: "The victim's injuries in this case were shocking, her recovery has been exceptional given the trauma that she endured.
"Thankfully she has no memory of what happened last October.
"Watts subjected the victim to violence that nobody should have to face and I'm pleased that this sentence underlines the gravity of what he did."
You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Attempted murder charge after woman severely injured
HM Courts & Tribunals Service
Hampshire Constabulary: How to report domestic abuse
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
41 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Witkoff: U.S. ready to give Ukraine security guarantees
Politics Witkoff: U.S. ready to give Ukraine security guarantees August 18, 2025 | 3:02 AM GMT U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said Aug. 17, ahead of a meeting with Ukraine's leader, that Article 5–like security guarantees are on the table.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Gold rebounds from two-week low; Trump-Zelenskiy meeting in focus
By Anmol Choubey (Reuters) -Gold rose after hitting a two-week low, supported by lower U.S. Treasury yields as investors awaited U.S. President Donald Trump's meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and European leaders to discuss a peace deal with Russia. Spot gold was up 0.3% at $3,345.64 per ounce, as of 0156 GMT on Monday, after hitting its lowest level since August 1. U.S. gold futures for December delivery rose 0.3% to $3,391.80. "Gold was on the back foot to start the day, but ... was able to reverse course with buyers stepping up to around the $3,330 level as a value play. U.S. treasury yields gave up some of Friday's gains which also helped to make life easier for the gold price," said Tim Waterer, chief market analyst at KCM Trade. European leaders are set to join Zelenskiy for discussions with Trump. Russia would relinquish tiny pockets of occupied Ukraine and Kyiv would cede swathes of its eastern land which Moscow has been unable to capture, under peace proposals discussed by Russia's Vladimir Putin and Trump at their Alaska summit, sources briefed on Moscow's thinking said. "We are seeing limited moves in either direction ahead of what could be some lively meetings in the White House this week with Zelenskiy back in town," Waterer said. Meanwhile, benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury yields eased from more than two-week high level. [US/] Investors are also looking ahead to the Federal Reserve's annual symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Economists polled by Reuters largely expect the Fed to announce a rate cut in September, its first this year, with a possible second cut by the year-end amid mounting U.S. economy woes. Non-yielding bullion, considered a safe-haven assets during periods of uncertainity, tends to perform well in low-interest-rate environment. Elsewhere, spot silver rose 0.3% to $38.08 per ounce, platinum gained 0.8% to $1,346.61 and palladium was up 1.3% to $1,126.85. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Oil falls on easing Russia supply concerns after Trump-Putin meet
By Florence Tan SINGAPORE (Reuters) -Oil prices slipped on Monday as the U.S. did not exert more pressure on Russia to end the Ukraine war by implementing further measures to disrupt Russian oil exports after the presidents from both countries met on Friday. Brent crude futures dropped 26 cents, or 0.39%, to $65.59 a barrel by 0028 GMT while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was at $62.62 a barrel, down 18 cents, or 0.29%. U.S. President Donald Trump met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday and emerged more aligned with Moscow on seeking a peace deal instead of a ceasefire first. Trump will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and European leaders on Monday to strike a quick peace deal to end Europe's deadliest war in 80 years. The U.S. president said on Friday he did not immediately need to consider retaliatory tariffs on countries such as China for buying Russian oil but might have to "in two or three weeks", cooling concerns about a disruption in Russian supply. China, the world's biggest oil importer is the largest Russian oil buyer followed by India. "What was primarily in play were the secondary tariffs targeting the key importers of Russian energy, and President Trump has indeed indicated that he will pause pursuing incremental action on this front, at least for China," RBC Capital analyst Helima Croft said in a note. "The status quo remains largely intact for now," Croft said, adding that Moscow will not walk back on territorial demands while Ukraine and some European leaders will balk at the land-for-peace deal. Investors are also watching Federal Reserve Chairman Colin Powell's comments at the Jackson Hole meeting this week to search for clues on the path of interest rate cuts that could boost stocks to more record highs. "It's likely he will remain non-committal and data-dependent, especially with one more payroll and CPI (Consumer Price Index) report before the September 17th FOMC meeting," IG market analyst Tony Sycamore said in a note. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
