Man convicted of attempted murder after Cheltenham attack

A man has pleaded guilty to attempting to murder a woman outside a leisure centre in March this year.

Joshua Bowles pleaded guilty to one count of attempted murder and one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, following an investigation by officers from Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE).

At the time of the attack in March, officers from Gloucestershire Constabulary responded and handled the initial investigation. However, due to the wider circumstances surrounding the incident, the investigation was then passed to the counter terrorism policing network. CTPSE then took the lead, working alongside officers from Counter Terrorism Policing South West and Gloucestershire Constabulary.

The victim was a US national, who works for the US government. She was working at GCHQ, at the time of the attack and the defendant cited this as a motive for his attack.

Bowles had previously worked at GCHQ, but was not working there at the time of the attack.

He is due to be sentenced at a future hearing.

Detective Chief Superintendent Olly Wright, head of Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE), said: “This was a violent and unprovoked attack on two innocent victims.

“Through our extensive and thorough investigation, it is clear that Bowles had selected his victim because of where she worked.

“It is for this reason that it was appropriate for specialist counter terrorism officers and staff to lead the investigation. They worked closely with colleagues from Gloucestershire Constabulary, who had responded to the initial report of the incident and managed the early stages of the investigation.

“I am pleased that Bowles has taken the decision to plead guilty to these crimes due to the strength of our investigation and evidence against him. This will thankfully spare the victims from having to go through the traumatic process of re-living the events of that day through the trial process.”

Image: GCHQ Building at Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, by Defence Imagery, Via Flickr