Man, 28, ‘tried to murder woman he met on a night out after beating and stamping on her’

A man tried to kill a woman he met during a night out by beating and stamping on her before and stripping her naked and dragging her into a woodland, a court has heard.

Matthew Stevens, 28, met the victim during a night out in Newcastle city centre  before they shared a taxi to his home in Brunswick Village in the early hours of March 11.

CCTV captures him and the woman, in her 30s and from Gateshead, walking through the streets before there is a gap of 50 minutes.

Stevens then reappears alone, with prosecutors arguing that he subjected the woman to a sustained attack which left her badly injured during this period.

The victim was discovered barely conscious by a dog walker later the same day.

She was wearing only socks in a woodland close to the A1, had suffered a number of injuries and was hypothermic – her body temperature having plummeted to just 30C.

Stevens has admitted responsibility for the attack, pleading guilty to wounding with intent, but denies attempted murder.

Newcastle Crown Court today heard how the victim was enjoying a night out in the hours prior to the attack.

Gavin Doig, prosecuting, said: ‘Within a few hours the defendant had, say the prosecution, attempted to murder her.

‘He left her unconscious, badly injured and naked in some woods near Brunswick Village, next to the A1. 

‘Fortunately, early the next morning, a dog walker came across her. He found her about 6am on March 11 and called 999.’

A jury heard that there is body worn camera footage of the victim from the first officer on the scene and pictures of her injuries taken in hospital.

Mr Doig added: ‘These are extremely unpleasant images and I’m sorry about that. However the prosecution intend to prove the defendant tried to murder her and in order for you to decide whether we have proved that, I’m afraid you have to see for yourself how and where she was left.’

The woman’s face was left ‘grossly swollen’, she had bleeding in both eyeballs and multiple lacerations to her face – including one right through her lower lip.

She also had a laceration to her ear and her tongue, from which her piercing had come out, fractures to her face and a punctured lung.

The court heard the victim, who has since recovered from her physical injuries, will not be giving evidence as she has no memory of what happened. 

She had gone out that night with a male friend and they went to Bobby’s Bar, where Stevens also happened to arrive with a friend. 

The two friends knew each other and Stevens and the victim got chatting and exchanged numbers.

Stevens and the woman went for a taxi on St James’ Boulevard at 2.45am, with the cabbie saying she was more drunk than him. 

The driver said she wanted to go home, but Stevens directed the cab to Wideopen.

They were dropped off at 3.08am on Darrell Street, Brunswick Village, and CCTV captures them walking together, close to where he was living, on Drysdale Crescent.

But instead of turning towards his home they headed straight on, towards some wasteground next to the A1.

The last sighting of them together was at 3.16am, before Stevens was then seen on CCTV 50 minutes later. 

Mr Doig said: ‘We say this is a sustained attack, not a brief loss of temper. Fifty minutes is a long time.’

The court also heard there were two crime scenes investigated by police. 

At the first, the woman’s clothes were found, including her damaged bra and ripped knickers – which ‘looked as if they had been rolled down by someone else’ – as well as other clothes she had been wearing, some of her hair and her phone.

Prosecutors say she was then dragged or carried to the second crime scene, in the wooded area. 

Mr Doig said: ‘The prosecution case is, having attacked her at scene one and stripped her clothing from her, he then drags or carries her to the more concealed wooded area, much further from the road and further from houses and the footpath.

‘The purpose of moving her, we say, was to continue the attack and, we say, to complete the attack and thinking her body would be less likely to be found or found quickly if it was moved away from the road and in an area of waste ground near the A1.’

Describing the moment she was discovered by a dog walker, the prosecutor went on: ‘He looked in and heard the sound of moaning as if a person was in pain. He saw a naked woman in this wooded, brambled area. 

‘He said she turned her head towards him but her eyes were so swollen he couldn’t tell if they were closed or open. She was completely naked apart from her socks.’

He added: ‘We say he intended to kill and this explains his decision in leading her to a more secluded location and continuing the attack on her. 

‘That he believed he had succeeded explains why he took her jewellery and hid it in his bedroom as a trophy or memento of his crime.’

Stevens denies attempted murder. The trial continues.