Man who stabbed ex-partner 17 times at office in Hampshire jailed for 26 years

A man has been jailed for 26 years for attempted murder after he stormed into his ex-partner’s office building and stabbed her 17 times in front of colleagues. Anwar Ashraf, 39, forced his way into the office in Whiteley, Hampshire , where Carla Skeites was working, having bombarded her with messages demanding her to go outside to speak to him. Armed with a kitchen knife he had brought from home, Ashraf subjected Skeites to the attack in the lobby of the office block, stabbing her 17 times with “severe levels of force” as she tried to flee up a set of stairs. A colleague restrained Ashraf and when police arrived he told officers: “What would you have done if your partner cheated on you?” The judge in the case said it was a “miracle” Skeites survived after she suffered life-threatening injuries including a collapsed lung and two broken ribs. Ashraf was jailed on Friday for 26 years at c crown court. Anwar Ashraf. Photograph: Hampshire Police/PA The violent assault took place on 30 April last year. Ashraf had a drinking problem and became obsessed with Skeites, accusing her of cheating on him despite the relationship having ended, the court previously heard. He sent her messages threatening her, and a couple of days before the attack, he said he was going to kill her, jurors were told. He turned up at her office with a kitchen knife he had taken from his home and demanded to speak to her outside. …