Attacker who assaulted lone women in random attacks convicted

A man who targeted lone women in a string of terrifying, random assaults has been convicted.

Kieron Anton Sewah, 32 and of May Place, attacked three women in Basingstoke in a less than one-month period last autumn before fleeing the scene.

The attacks – which included holding a 52-year-old woman at knifepoint and seriously injuring a 76 year-old woman by striking her from behind – were carried out seemingly without motive.

Sewah, who denied all offences, was previously found guilty of only one of the attacks after a jury was unable to reach a verdict on the other two cases.

However, CPS prosecutors successfully retried Sewah – who was convicted on all counts on 9 November at Winchester Crown Court.

Daniel Marsh, Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS Wessex, said: “Kieron Sewah is a dangerous individual who inflicted terrifying, random violence against lone women in the street.

“Having initially only secured one conviction, the CPS was determined that each of Sewah’s victims saw justice and after a complex retrial we have secured convictions for every one of these attacks.

“No woman should ever have to endure such a horrifying ordeal – we hope today’s verdict provides some comfort to each of the victims and we wish them all the best going forward.”

The first incident took place shortly before midday on 21 September 2022 at Silvester Close in Basingstoke where Sewah held a knife to a 52-year-old woman who managed to flee in her car.

Less than a fortnight later, on 2 October, a 57-year-old woman was walking alone to St Mary’s Church on Goat Lane when she was attacked without warning from behind with a blow to the right side of her head.

The woman sustained cuts and swelling to her head and neck area.

Then, on October 12, a 76-year-old woman was walking her dog late at night when she was struck from behind with a heavy blow to the head, believed to be from a bladed object.

As with the previous two incidents, Sewah casually walked away. The woman sustained a severely fractured skull.

He denied any involvement in the attacks, however the CPS proved that he was the person behind each assault in court, working with the police to piece together witness identification of Sewah and extensive CCTV evidence.

For the 2 October incident, Sewah initially denied any knowledge of his whereabouts on the day.

However, when confronted with CCTV footage which traced his movements from the church to his hostel, and having also been identified by a witness, he admitted he was in the area but again denied responsibility for the attack.

Sewah will be sentenced for all three incidents at Winchester Crown Court on Friday 26 January.