Man found guilty of assaults against sex workers in Southampton

A Southampton man has been found guilty of committing a number of violent assaults against vulnerable women in the city.

Everton Fyffe, aged 54, from Southcliff Road was found guilty by a jury at Southampton Crown Court yesterday (April 14) for multiple offences he committed against women in 2020.

On July 4 2020, Fyffe attacked a 40-year-old woman on Parsonage Road. He stamped on the woman, punched her and threatened her with a knife.

On 23 September 2020, Fyffe attacked another woman, aged 37-years-old, on Cranbury Terrace. Fyffe approached her, pushed her onto the ground and stamped on her head. He then put her in his car and assaulted her further.

On December 6 2020, Fyffe approached a third woman, aged 43-years-old whilst she was walking on the footbridge over Mount Pleasant Road. Fyffe picked up his fold up push bike and assaulted her with it.

Fyffe was found guilty of:

• ABH assault x 3
• Possession of an offensive weapon in a public place
• Threatening someone with an offensive
• False imprisonment

PC Sue Badham said: “Sex workers are particularly vulnerable to violence and we’ve worked really hard in the city to gain their trust and report incidents to us. Often attacks against these women are committed by someone they know and they’re concerned they won’t be believed.

“We will believe you and we will take action against those who are continually putting women’s lives in danger.

“Fyffe targeted these women because he thought that he could, he thought that they wouldn’t report it and they wouldn’t see through an investigation.

“The courage and the bravery shown by these women has been absolutely instrumental in allowing us to bring this dangerous man before a court.

“We want to reassure the public that we continue to prioritise violence against women and bring perpetrators of violent and sexual offences to justice, and we hope this gives other vulnerable women the courage to pick up the phone and call us.

Fyffe has been remanded in custody and will be sentenced on May 12 at Southampton Crown Court.