Wakefield: Police bodycam footage shows man's arrest after murder attempt

A man has been jailed for attempting to murder his then partner in a Wakefield street in April this year.

Benjamin Swindells, aged 30, of no fixed abode, was found guilty following a trial at Leeds Crown Court of attempted murder.

He was sentenced today (Friday, 20 December) to 23 years imprisonment, with an extended licence period of four years.

The offence happened in the early hours of Saturday, 13 April, outside the Tesco Express at the junction of Sparable Lane and Barnsley Road, Wakefield.

It was reported into police by a witness who saw a man, later identified as Swindells, kicking the female victim repeatedly to the head. At one point Swindells moved away from the victim to smoke a cigarette but then returned and attempted to pull the victim up to her feet by her hair before banging her head on the floor and continuing to kick her.

When officers attended, they found Swindells sat on the floor cradling the victim who was unconscious. Officers had to pull him away from the victim.

Body worn video footage played in court showed him repeatedly shouting out to the victim and screaming at arresting officers to “kill him”.