Isle of Wight man jailed for 8 years after he attacked a woman who was walking her dog

At around 9.30am on December 22, 2021, 30-year-old Douglas Knight approached the woman in Charles Wood, Isle of Wight, along Undercliff Road as she was walking her dog.

He had initially passed the woman before turning to follow her and 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 attempts to cover the woman’s face, she bit him, screamed for help and elbowed him before he ran off towards Hunts Road – The 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 May 6, 2022, Knight admitted false imprisonment but he denied the second charge and the case continued to trial in Portsmouth on January 11, 2023.

He was found guilty of committing an offence with intent to commit a sexual offence on January 18.

Appearing at Portsmouth Crown Court today (March 31), Knight, of Undercliff Drive in Niton, was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison and he was also ordered to sign on to the Sex Offenders Register for life.

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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.”

The police are encouraging 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 the link.