Matthew Stevens was convicted of attempted murder by a jury at Newcastle Crown Court following a six-day trial in December.
The court heard how the 28-year-old met his victim on a night out on March 10, 2022 – and later lured her into a taxi and took her to Brunswick Village, in Newcastle, ignoring her pleas to be taken home.
CCTV later recovered by officers would show the pair walking along Drysdale Crescent, towards the nearby fields at around 3am – just moments before Stevens carried out his brutal and violent attack against the woman – which would leave her fighting for her life.
In the early hours of the morning, a dog walker passing the scene and found the victim, who Stevens left naked, barely conscious, with severe swelling to her face and her clothes strewn across the grass.
She was immediately taken to hospital where she received critical care – but the trauma was so severe she had no memory of what had happened to her.
However, police launched an investigation and were able to pursue an evidence-led prosecution based on telecoms activity from Stevens’ phone, witness statements and CCTV.
When Stevens was arrested at his home address, officers noticed his clothing was stained with blood, and they also recovered the bracelets his victim had been wearing the previous night.
Stevens, of Drysdale Crescent in Brunswick, was later charged and eventually found guilty of attempted murder. Today (Monday) he was sentenced to 29 years behind bars with an extended licence period of three years.
