Man jailed for 'frightening' attack on Isle of Wight
A woman was grabbed as she walked her dog
Last updated 31st Mar 2023
Police say a 'dangerous man has been brought to justice' after attacking a woman on the Isle of Wight.
At around 9.30am on 22 December 2021, Douglas Knight approached his victim in Charles Wood along Undercliff Road as she was walking her dog.
Knight had initially passed the woman before turning to follow her. As he reached her, he began to pet her dog and chat to her before she continued walking.
During a trial at Portsmouth Crown Court, the jury were told that Knight continued to walk behind the woman before grabbing her and forcing her to her knees.
Despite Knight trying to cover the woman’s face, she bit him, screamed for help and elbowed him before he ran off towards Hunts Road.
Police were called and Knight was arrested nearby by attending officers.
He was subsequently charged with one count of false imprisonment and one count of committing an offence with intent to commit a sexual offence.
On 6 May 2022, Knight admitted false imprisonment, however he denied the second charge and the case proceeded to trial in Portsmouth on Wednesday 11 January 2023.
He was subsequently found guilty of committing an offence with intent to commit a sexual offence on Wednesday 18 January.
Appearing at Portsmouth Crown Court today (Friday 31 March), Knight, of Undercliff Drive in Niton, was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison. He was also ordered to sign on to the Sex Offenders Register for life.
Following the sentencing, DC Amy Hicks said: “This was an incredibly frightening attack on a woman who was going about her normal daily business. No person in our community should ever be put at risk or have to feel afraid of spending time outdoors in their local area.
“Incidents such as these have a lasting impact on victims as well as the wider public, and men like Knight simply do not deserve a place in society.
“I am pleased that he is now in prison where he belongs, and want to thank the woman involved in this case for her unwavering courage which has resulted in this dangerous man being brought to justice.”
We want everyone in our community to feel safe, and also want people to have the confidence to speak up if there are certain things that make them feel unsafe in their neighbourhood.
We encourage people to make use of the Home Office StreetSafe tool, which was launched in September 2021.
StreetSafe is not a tool to report crime, but instead enables you to report specific concerns or environmental factors that make you feel unsafe in your local area. This could be poor street lighting, abandoned buildings, or areas where certain individuals have behaved in a way to make you feel intimidated, for example.
To access StreetSafe, click here.