Anthony Roberts 56

Description

A Worcester man has today (10 October 2023) been sentenced to life imprisonment for attempted murder and sexual assault.

Anthony Roberts, 56, of Amber Heights in Worcester was handed the sentence this afternoon at Worcester Crown Court.

He will serve a minimum term of 19 years and 3 months.

During the early hours of Sunday 7 May 2023 Roberts sexually assaulted a 71-year-old woman on Kleve Walk in Worcester, before stabbing her multiple times and leaving her for dead on the riverside path.

Detective Chief Inspector Gareth Lougher said: “This was an incredibly violent attack on an innocent woman, which shocked the local community to the core.

“Thankfully, the victim survived but her road to mental and physical recovery will be a long one.  The outcome could have been very different.

“I’d like to commend her on the courage she has shown in helping us to bring her attacker to justice. 

“I have no doubt that the mental impact of this attack will haunt the victim for the rest of her life, but I hope that today’s sentence will allow her to begin to move forwards.

“I’d also like to take the opportunity to thank the team involved in bringing Roberts to justice. He was located and arrested extremely quickly and charged within 24 hours of the attack. 

“I hope this case shows that we take violence incredibly seriously and won’t hesitate to take action against perpetrators.”