Ex-GCHQ employee tried to kill NSA security worker

A sketch of Joshua Bowles in a previous court appearence

An ex-UK intelligence worker has pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of a US government employee who worked at a British base with him.

Joshua Bowles, 29, stabbed the woman, who worked for the United States National Security Agency while based at GCHQ, multiple times.

The incident happened about three miles from GCHQ's Cheltenham base, in a leisure centre car park, on 9 March.

Bowles appeared at the Old Bailey by videolink from Belmarsh Prison.

The woman, who was referred to in court as 99230, was based at GCHQ, the UK's intelligence, security and cyber agency, at the same time as Bowles, who was investigated by counter-terror police.

As well as attempted murder, he also admitted a charge of assault for punching a man, Alex Fuentes, who tried to intervene during the attack, causing him actual bodily harm.

Nick Price, head of the CPS special crime and counter terrorism division, said: "This extremely violent attack against two innocent people was completely unprovoked."

Prosecutor, Emma Gargitter, told the court that Bowles stopped working at GCHQ in late 2022.

From the beginning of 2023 he started conducting reconnaissance on the victim, including using the internet, the court heard.

Bowles, Welwyn Mews, Cheltenham, discovered that she sometimes played netball at a leisure centre on Tommy Taylor's Lane.

The headquarters of GCHQ, the UK's intelligence, security and cyber agency, is in Cheltenham

On 9 February he conducted a dummy run at the leisure centre and a month later he went there armed with two knives and launched an attack on the victim at about 21:15 GMT as she was leaving the leisure centre with a friend, the court was told.

When the victim finished her game he attempted to stab her in the car park, and he punched Mr Fuentes when he tried to protect her.

The woman then ran back into the leisure centre, and Bowles followed with a second knife, the first one having broken in the car park.

The victim managed to escape back into the netball court while Bowles remained in reception.

She was taken to hospital after suffering multiple stab injuries in the attack.

Ms Gargitter said that Bowles had also researched two other US government employees.

She said that because of this, the prosecution was asking for Bowles to be sentenced as someone convicted of a terrorist offence.

The victim was attacked in a leisure centre car park in Cheltenham after finishing a game of netball

Det Chf Supt Olly Wright, head of counter terrorism policing south east, said: "Through our extensive and thorough investigation, it is clear that Bowles had selected his victim because of where she worked.

"It is for this reason that it was appropriate for specialist counter terrorism officers and staff to lead the investigation."

He added he was "pleased" Bowles had pleaded guilty to spare the victims having to go through the "traumatic" process of a trial.

Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said that Bowles, who has no previous convictions, will be sentenced in October.

GCHQ said it was unable to comment on live legal proceedings.

Follow BBC West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: [e-mail]