Guilty: Thug who beat woman into a coma outside Wakefield Tesco convicted of attempted murder


The jury in the trial of Benjamin Swindells unanimously agreed that the 30-year-old had tried to kill his partner during a bloody assault in which he repeatedly punched, kicked and stamped on her head.
She had to be placed into a medically-induced coma. Former soldier Swindells initially claimed they had been jumped by two men, but later accepted “full responsibility” for the attack.
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Hide AdHe accepted causing GBH with intent, but continued to deny trying to kill her. His trial at Leeds Crown Court started on Monday. The jury had been sent out this morning and returned their verdict just after 4pm.


Witnesses told the court that they saw Swindells attacking the woman on Woodcock Street, next to the Tesco Express on Barnsley Road, shortly after midnight on April 13, repeatedly kicking, punching and stamping on her head “with full force”.
He was seen dragging her lifeless body by her hair and dropping her on the pavement.
Body-worn footage from arriving police showed Swindells holding onto the unconscious woman, proclaiming his love for her as they tried to prise him away.
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Hide AdSwindells claimed he could remember nothing about the attack and said he was convinced they had been attacked by others, until he heard the 999 calls from members of the public. He then said he was “in denial”.
Giving evidence this week, Swindells sobbed and told the court: “She did not deserve this. She did not deserve any of it...I was supposed to be her protector, instead I became a perpetrator.”
Swindells, of no fixed address, also admitted he previously attacked the woman “on occasions”, while under the influence of drink or drugs. The victim told police that Swindells was smoking crack cocaine “every day”.
He will remain in custody and will be sentenced at a later date.