Man guilty of attempting to drown partner in New Forest
The 27-year-old was found guilty of attempted murder
A Southampton man has been found guilty of attempting to murder a woman after he seriously assaulted her and tried to drown her in boggy water by the side of a road in the New Forest.
27-year-old Awass Deader, of Blenheim Gardens in Portswood, carried out the attack on his partner at Rollestone Road in Beaulieu on October 11th last year.
The jury at Southampton Crown Court, which sat for almost a week, heard how an altercation had ensued between Deader and his partner between 8.00pm and 8.25pm that day.
The woman was found at the side of the road with serious injuries following the attack and was taken to Southampton General Hospital for further treatment.
Awass Deader was subsequently arrested, and charged just three days later (14 October 2021), with attempted murder.
Appearing at Southampton Crown Court on Monday (August 22nd) following a five-day trial, Deader was found guilty by a jury of attempted murder.
He appeared at the same court on Thursday (August 25th) and was placed under an indefinite hospital order.
Detective Constable Jess Swift of Hampshire Police said:
“We hope that this result brings closure to the woman who suffered at the hands of Deader during a sustained, and abhorrent, attack in early October last year.
“I have no doubt that it is a result of the brave actions of those members of public who were passing and intervened, that resulted in the victim surviving the attack on her. My praise and thanks goes out to them.
“The Judge presiding over the case also commended the passer-bys for their actions, which undoubtedly saved the woman’s life.
“This incident will have had a profound impact on the woman, as well as her family who have been supporting her, and I hope that today’s verdict allows them to begin to move forward from this incident.
“As a police force, we continue to identify and relentlessly pursue perpetrators who commit violence against women and girls, whilst seeking to protect, and provide support, to those who need our help most.
“We welcome the jury’s decision to convict Awass Deader in relation to this callous attack.”