Victim says it's 'hard to live' after man 'took away her freedom' in attack as she walked home
ITV West Country's Jacquie Bird's speaks to the victim of Nicholas Ashby who was convicted of sexual assault and attempted rape
The victim of a man who attacked her as she walked home in Barnstaple has said he has "taken away her freedom" as he is sentenced.
Married father Nicholas Ashby, from Sowden Park, Barnstaple, was sentenced on Monday 31 July at Exeter Crown Court for one count of sexual assault and one count of attempted rape.
The victim spoke to ITV News West Country about the moment she was walking home in the early hours of Sunday 2 October 2022 and was attacked by Ashby on Beaufort Walk.
The victim had been on her phone with a friend when her battery suddenly died.
A short time after, she was approached from behind by a man who threatened her with a craft knife, telling her that if she made a sound, he would hurt her.
The man pinned her to the floor and continued to attack her before running from the scene.
The victim managed to get to her home address and alert police and specially trained officers, and an ambulance crew attended.
She spoke about the moment she fought off the attacker: "I was about a minute away from my home and my phone had died and as I went to put my phone away.
"I remember a man coming up behind me with a knife and he said something in my ear and with that, I kind of just threw my body weight back at him, he stumbled and fallen over. He then proceeded to try and assault me.
"With that, I fought him off and he stood up and ran away, I ran home and soon as I got home I screamed at my cousin to give me her phone so I could call the police and that's exactly what I did."
She spoke of the long-term impact of the attack, saying she finds it "very hard to live", but thanked officers and family for their support since the incident.
She added: "I wouldn’t have been able to do it without my liaison officer or my family. They’ve been a really big support."
Speaking ahead of today's sentencing, the victim said: "I can’t wait for it [the sentencing] to happen. I’ve said to all of my family I just want to see his face when he is sentenced because that’s me taking his freedom away like he tried to take my freedom away from me.
"I’m hoping it’s going to help me deal with whatever’s left of this rollercoaster so I’m hoping it’s going to be a big relief."
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