Man jailed for life after attempting to kill elderly woman in Ellesmere Port

A 52-year-old man has been jailed for life after admitting trying to kill a 78-year-old woman in Ellesmere Port.

Wayne Hill, who is from Ellesmere Port but has recently been living on London Road in Sandbach, had been drinking heavily on the day that he subjected the victim to a sustained and vicious assault.

The assault began at a house in Wetherby Way, Little Sutton, Ellesmere Port, at around 10.30pm on Tuesday 20 August.

It ended outside a few doors down when neighbours pulled Hill off the victim as he assaulted her as she attempted to escape from him.

They called emergency services and restrained Hill until officers and paramedics arrived.

The officers subsequently arrested Hill, who had made threats to kill the victim whilst he was being restrained by the neighbours.

The police also seized knives that he had armed himself with during the attack.
Hill had cut, strangled and repeatedly punched the victim before neighbours saw her being assaulted and came to her aid.

The victim sustained serious injuries as a result of her ordeal and was taken to hospital in an ambulance.

She has since been discharged but requires ongoing medical treatment.

Hill admitted to officers that he had been drunk when he assaulted the victim and was subsequently charged with attempted murder.

He pleaded guilty to the charge at Chester Crown Court on Wednesday 2 October.

Hill returned to the court for sentencing today, Thursday 28 November. He was jailed for life and must serve a minimum of 10 years behind bars before applying for parole.

Following sentencing, Detective Inspector Stuart York, who led the investigation for Cheshire Constabulary, said: “The elderly victim was subjected to a sickening assault that began in a house and continued outside as she attempted to escape a drunk man who was trying to kill her.

“He had said to her that he was going to kill her and his actions show that he had every intent to carry that threat out.

“Thankfully people living in neighbouring homes came to her rescue and I cannot praise them enough for restraining Hill, calling emergency services and keeping him restrained until officers and paramedics arrived.

“They bravely put the victim’s welfare above their own and their actions undoubtedly saved her life.

“Hill’s attempts to kill the victim left her with serious injuries that require ongoing medical attention.

“Although she will never be able to forget what happened to her, I hope the fact that Hill has been handed a life sentence and will spend at least the next 10 years in jail will provide her with some closure and enable her to move forward with her life.

“I also hope that it sends the message far and wide that such violence will not be tolerated.

“I am relieved that Hill is now behind bars facing the consequences of his actions and I would like to thank all the officers involved in the investigation for their hard work in securing this conviction.

“I would particularly like to thank Detective Constable John Palmi for the compassionate victim care, support and reassurance he has provided, and for the professional and diligent conduct of the investigation.

“This secured the early guilty plea and prevented the victim from having to attend court.”