Man punched and stamped on woman in 'horrific, violent and targeted attack'
A man who repeatedly punched and stamped on a woman in Peterborough city centre has been jailed. Mohammed Beila, 22, was caught on CCTV and identified through a facial recognition system.
The ambulance service received a call from a member of the public in the early hours of January 6, 2024. They had come across the seriously injured woman in Church Walk, off Broadway.
The woman, who was in her 30s, had significant injuries and was initially though to be in a life-threatening condition. She was taken to hospital, where it was confirmed she had a broken collarbone and fractured eye socket.
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Police reviewed CCTV footage in the area and spotted a man with the victim around the time of the assault. An image from the footage was put through the Police National Database (PND) facial recognition system which came back as a match to Beila, who was arrested on February 7.
Beila, of Eastfield Road, Eastfield, appeared at Cambridge Crown Court on Friday (October 11) where he was sentenced to seven years in prison after previously pleading guilty to causing grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent. He has also been made subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).
Detective Constable Emily Richardson, who investigated, said: "This was a horrific, violent and targeted attack on a woman who was left with serious injuries.
"Other than to confirm it was him in the CCTV footage, Beila gave no explanation and initially denied the offence, but due to the overwhelming evidence against him, he changed his plea on the first day of his trial.
"I hope this case sends a clear message that violence of any kind will not be tolerated. I would like to thank the member of the public who called for an ambulance and raised the alarm, enabling the woman to receive the urgent medical assistance she needed."
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