Man who seriously assaulted woman with crutches jailed

Witnesses were worried MacKay was going to kill his victim

A man has been jailed after using crutches to seriously assault a woman in an "sustained and vicious" attack.

Salisbury Crown Court heard Cameron MacKay, 36, of Rougemont Close, Salisbury, was so violent, a number of people who intervened barricaded themselves inside a pharmacy.

MacKay was sentenced to five years and six months in prison for attempted grievous bodily harm, possession of an offensive weapon and harassment.

Local Crime Investigator [LCI] Dawson of Wiltshire Police said the victim's injuries were "some of the worst" he had seen.

Witnesses saw MacKay attack his victim at 09:20 GMT on 26 February on Pembroke Road, Bemerton Heath, in Salisbury, with crutches. He had also taken a hammer to the location.

LCI Dawson added: "MacKay waited for his victim, who was known to him, and carried out a sustained and vicious attack. Those who saw what happened said they were frightened he was going to kill her.

"MacKay was found by the jury to have pre-planned his violent and unprovoked attack by bringing a hammer to a place he knew she would be, in order to assault her with intention of causing her serious harm.

"I would like to thank the heroic actions of the staff who were there that day, who intervened without hesitation and who, ultimately saved the victim from further, more serious harm."

Brave victim

The officer also thanked the victim for her "continued bravery and support throughout the investigation" and the witnesses who attended court to give evidence.

“This court result shows we do not tolerate violence of any kind in our communities and will always bring those suspected of such attacks to justice while seeking to protect the public we serve from harm," LCI Dawson added.

MacKay was sentenced to four years for attempted GBH, nine months for possessing an offensive weapon in a public place to run concurrently and 18 months for harassment to run consecutively.

He was also sentenced to four months to run concurrently for four counts of assaulting an emergency worker between November 2023 and February 2024.