Man jailed for trying to strangle woman at hotel

Joshua Taylor had been out of prison for two days when he attacked a woman in Stevenage

A man used a mobile phone charger to try and strangle a woman he had just met after being released from prison two days earlier.

Joshua Taylor, who was previously from Letchworth, Hertfordshire, was jailed for 12 years at St Albans Crown Court on Wednesday.

He attacked the woman after they met in a pub in Stevenage in July 2022.

Recorder Stephen Lennard described Taylor as a "dangerous offender".

Taylor was found guilty of strangulation, false imprisonment, actual bodily harm and assaults on two police officers. He was found not guilty of rape and assault by penetration.

The court heard how Taylor met a woman on 30 July 2022 and they shared a taxi to the Holiday Inn in St Georges Way, Stevenage, where he was staying.

The woman was attacked at the Holiday Inn and managed to escape and get help from staff

Det Con Pippa Mason said: "As soon as they reached his room, Taylor became aggressive towards the woman, physically assaulting her and causing her to fear for her life.

"When she tried to escape, he pulled her by her hair and put a mobile phone charger around her neck, so she was unable to breathe."

The woman escaped by putting her fingers between the cable and her neck, before getting into a lift and receiving help from the hotel staff.

Det Con Mason told the court that Taylor "punched the victim repeatedly to the face", leaving her with "severe injuries to her eyes".

'Terrifying ordeal’

When he was arrested, Taylor punched an officer in the face and bit another officer.

He had previously served a jail sentence in Plymouth after assaulting another woman who police said "feared for her life". He had been released on 28 July 2022.

Det Con Mason said Taylor "could easily have killed the woman" in Stevenage.

"Fortunately she was able to escape and get help.

"This was a terrifying ordeal. The impact of that night has had an understandably devastating impact on her.”

Det Con Mason said the victim "is relieved that Taylor has been put behind bars for a number of years", adding that the police hoped the lengthy sentence “sends out a reassuring message to all women and girls".