A man has today been jailed for 26 years after stabbing his former partner more than a dozen times at her workplace in Whiteley.

Anwar Ashraf, 39, of Portsmouth, turned up uninvited at the victim's place of work on 30 April 2025. He forced his way into the building, produced a knife, and stabbed her 17 times with a kitchen knife as she tried to escape.

Members of the public intervened to restrain Ashraf and called emergency services. The victim survived after receiving urgent hospital treatment for life-threatening injuries.

Ashraf had become obsessed with his former partner after their relationship ended, bombarding her with calls and messages and accusing her of cheating. When arrested, he tried defending his actions by asking: "What would you do if your partner cheated on you, how would you react?"

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) built a case that led to a jury finding Ashraf guilty of attempted murder, despite his claim he only intended to scare the victim.

Ashraf previously admitted carrying a knife and wounding the victim with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

But prosecutors pushed to ensure Ashraf faced the consequences of his actions, and were able to secure a conviction for attempted murder.

Simon Clark, of the Crown Prosecution Service said: “This was a sustained and violent attack carried out in a place where the victim should have felt safe.

“Anwar Ashraf sought to downplay his actions by saying he only wanted to scare the victim, but the nature and scale of this attack showed a clear intent to cause fatal harm.

“Prosecutors refused to let him evade responsibility by pleading guilty to a lesser offence, and ultimately secured a conviction for attempted murder.

“Today’s sentence reiterates the Crown Prosecution Service’s commitment to tackling violence against women and girls, and we will continue to prosecute those responsible robustly.”