Man convicted of attack on lone dog walker on the Isle of Wight

A man has been convicted following an attack on a woman in St Lawrence on the Isle of Wight.

At around 9.30am on 22 December 2021, 29-year-old Douglas Knight approached the woman in Charles Wood along Undercliff Road as she was walking her dog.

Knight had initially passed the woman before turning to follow her. As he reached her, he began to pet her dog and chat to her before she continued walking.

A jury sitting at Portsmouth Crown Court were told that Knight continued to walk behind the woman before grabbing her and forcing her to her knees.

Despite Knight trying to cover the woman’s face, she bit him, screamed for help and elbowed him before he ran off towards Hunts Road.

Police were called and Knight was arrested nearby by attending officers.

He was subsequently charged with one count of false imprisonment and one count of committing an offence with intent to commit a sexual offence.

On 6 May 2022, Knight admitted false imprisonment, however he denied the second charge and the case proceeded to trial in Portsmouth on Wednesday 11 January 2023.

Today, Wednesday 18 January, the jury found him guilty of committing an offence with intent to commit a sexual offence.

Knight, of Undercliff Drive in Niton, was remanded in custody to appear at the same court for sentencing on 28 February.