Wideopen: Matthew Stevens convicted of attempted murder

Matthew Stevens denied attempted murder but was found guilty by a jury

A thug who left a woman to die in a field after a violent attack has been convicted of attempted murder.

The 27-year-old victim had met Matthew Stevens in a Newcastle city centre bar before being taken to fields in the Wideopen area at about 03:00 GMT on 10 March.

The city's crown court heard a dog walker found her naked and barely conscious.

Stevens was found guilty after a trial and will be sentenced on 20 March.

The jury was told the victim had no memory of the attack but police were able to piece together the timeline of events using phone data, CCTV footage and witness statements.

The woman had been heard asking to be taken home multiple times, Northumbria Police said, but was instead taken in a taxi to Darrell Street in Wideopen.

'Sinister attack'

CCTV then showed the pair walking towards nearby fields.

Stevens, 28, was arrested at his home address at Drysdale Crescent in Brunswick Village where police found several of the victim's bracelets as well as his blood-stained clothing.

This bracelet was among a number recovered by police when they arrested Stevens

Det Insp Tam Fowler said it had been a "sinister attack" with Stevens then telling lies to the jury.

"Stevens' motivations were clear and thanks to the evidence gathered, we were able to show the court how he isolated his victim, taking her away from her friend to an area she didn't know to carry out the attack," he said.

"When he was finished, he left her alone in a field, without her clothes, phone or any ways to get home or call help, with significant facial injuries which she would have died from had the dog walker not found her."