Man, 46, jailed for 36 months for intentional suffocation and stalking

A 46-year-old man from Whiteley has been jailed for 36 months for intentional suffocation and stalking involving fear of violence. 

Ashley Vickers, of no fixed abode, was sentenced at Portsmouth Crown Court last Friday (9 February).

He will spend three years behind bars after pleading guilty to the incidents, which also included two counts of disclosing / threatening to disclose private sexual photos and films with intent to cause distress.

The incidents occurred in Hamble between Tuesday 20 December 2022 and Saturday 8 July 2023.

During one of the incidents, Vickers’ victim had a bag placed over head.

On another occasion, Vickers disclosed sexual images of his victim to other people, without the victim’s consent.

Vickers also subjected his victim to stalking, by calling her continuously, turning up at her place of work and making multiple threats towards her and her family, putting her in fear of violence.

As well as his imprisonment, Vickers will be subject to a restraining order and must also pay a £228 surcharge.

DC Ryan White, of Eastleigh District Investigations, said: “It took a great deal of courage and bravery for the victim to come forward in this case and make these disclosures to us.

“I am so grateful to her for fully supporting our investigation and never doubting our ability to get a conviction in court.

“I am so pleased for her that justice has now been served in this case, and that she has now seen him put behind bars, where he belongs.

“While I know the result itself won’t rid her of the memories of what he did to her, I truly hope that it allows her to move forward with her life, safe in the knowledge that he can no longer harm anybody else.

“I also hope this sentence will reassure other victims that they will be listened to when reporting similar incidents to us.

“We encourage other victims to come forward and speak to us. We take allegations of this nature extremely seriously and work hard to bring offenders to justice.

“This should also be a very clear message to other offenders out there that we will always work tirelessly to ensure you are brought to justice.

“This case is also another example of the hard work we are doing to prevent domestic abuse and bring offenders to justice.”

Anyone who believes they have been a victim of similar crimes should contact us on 101, or call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

We recognise that not everyone has the confidence to speak to police, but there is support services available that can help you if you are a victim of domestic abuse.

Please see the below link for more details and information about the support services available.

Advice about domestic abuse | Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary