Van driver jailed after ploughing into stranger and strangling her in ‘chilling’ attempted kidnap

A 28-year-old who drove a van at a stranger before strangling her during a "chilling" assault that left the victim suffering from “panic attacks and flashbacks” has been jailed for 10 years.

Safiya Anna Haverty, who is biologically male but presents as female, targeted the woman, aged in her 50s, as she walked down Micheldever Road in Andover, Hampshire, on 2 March.

A Hampshire Constabulary spokesman described how the victim was hit from behind by a white vehicle, with the impact sending her flying several feet. Haverty exited the van, dragged the victim towards the rear, and began choking her.

The victim went limp and waited for Haverty to release her grip, fleeing when Haverty moved to open the van's back door. She ran up a nearby hill to seek help from two cyclists, while Haverty pursued her briefly in the van before turning around and driving away.

In a statement read to the court, the victim detailed the severe ongoing impact of the assault.

"In the days following the attack, I found it extremely difficult to go out on my own. I felt constantly on edge and unsafe. Even now, I still wake up with panic attacks, and my sleep is frequently disrupted by flashbacks to what happened,” she said.

"I find it difficult to switch off, and the lack of proper sleep leaves me feeling exhausted. What happened doesn’t simply go away when I close my eyes; it is something I continue to relive.

"I still think about how serious the consequences could have been and how easily things could have ended very differently.

"The fact that someone was prepared to do that to me has left me with a fear that I never had before. It is something I find very difficult to put behind me, even though I managed to escape."

Haverty, who legally changed name from Sean Bevann Haverty, was sentenced at Winchester Crown Court to 10 years’ imprisonment with an additional four years on licence.

The defendant, of Newquay, Cornwall, was convicted of kidnap, assault causing actual bodily harm, dangerous driving and perverting the course of justice.

Detective Constable Holly Hunt-Watts said: "This was a truly horrendous incident in which a woman was deliberately struck by a van and subjected to an attempted kidnap.

"Through her courage, outstanding teamwork and a swift investigation, a dangerous offender has been put behind bars."

Natalie Cheesman, senior crown prosecutor, added: "This was a chilling attack on a complete stranger."