Man convicted of violent assault on woman in Portslade

A man has been convicted of multiple driving and violent offences after admitting violently assaulting a woman in Portslade.

At around 9.50pm on Tuesday, November 8, a member of the public reported her vehicle being hit by a car which drove off, collided with a central reservation and was abandoned by its driver.

The driver was swiftly identified from video footage of the incident as Lee Norris, 51, of Buckhurst Avenue in Carshalton, Sutton.

Officers traced him that evening to a property in Portslade, where they found a woman with significant facial injuries. She said she had been violently assaulted by Norris, who had strangled and threatened to kill her.

Norris was found inside the address with blood on his hands and arrested on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm, making threats to kill, failing to stop after a road accident and driving without insurance.

He was later arrested further for intentional strangulation and failing to provide a specimen for analysis.

After being charged with all six offences, he pleaded guilty to each count at Brighton Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (November 10) and was remanded in custody.

He is due to be sentenced at Lewes Crown Court on Thursday, December 8.

Detective Inspector Laura Hillier-Diamond, of Brighton and Hove’s Safeguarding Investigations Unit, said: “Violence against women and girls has no place in our society and will not be tolerated by Sussex Police.

“Thanks to the swift work of officers responding to the initial collision report, they were able to protect a vulnerable woman from further harm and take a violent, dangerous individual off the streets.

“I would also like to commend Norris’ victim for her bravery in supporting this prosecution and the investigating officers who secured the conviction.

“As a force we are unwavering in our proactive pursuit of perpetrators of domestic violence and will continue to do all that we can, alongside our partners, to safeguard victims and bring offenders to justice.”

Domestic abuse affects people from all walks of life and in many different ways. Find out what classes as domestic abuse, how to report it and how, under Clare’s Law, you can find out if a partner has a history of domestic violence or abuse here – https://www.sussex.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/daa/domestic-abuse/

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