‘Violent and dangerous offender’ jailed after attacking woman in her own home

Police have praised the courage and strength of a woman who was assaulted by a stranger in her own home as the ‘violent and dangerous’ attacker was jailed for 20 years.

The victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, suffered significant physical injuries during the attack at an address in Goodwick, Pembrokeshire, just before 10.30pm on May 24, 2024

Dyfed-Powys Police officers were called by a relative of the victim, who described her as being covered in blood, adding that the suspect was trying to escape from the house.

Officers attended immediately and found the victim inside the house with facial injuries.

Badly injured

Detective Chief Inspector Matthew Briggs said: “She was clearly badly injured, and was incredibly distressed, but at that point we weren’t aware of the extent of the ordeal she had been put through.

“Our focus was on prioritising her care with the help of paramedics, and getting officers out on the street to find the suspect.

“Shortly after officers arrived at scene, a man by the name of Benjamin Guiver was arrested not far from the house.”

The victim revealed in interview that she didn’t think she would survive the assault, but that two family members returned home and disturbed the attacker.

Watching TV

She explained that she had fallen asleep while watching TV and woke to find a man in her living room. He said his name was Benjamin and that he had come ‘to rescue her’. When the victim asked who he was, he replied ‘don’t ask any questions or I’ll kill you’.

The victim manged to escape the address and run out onto the drive, shouting for help. She was followed by the suspect, who assaulted her outside and threated to kill her before continuing the sustained attack inside the address.

The victim lost several teeth and sustained significant bruising to her body.

It was later established by police that the 34-year-old from Fishguard, had attempted to enter another house in close proximity to the victim’s home a short while earlier.

Following substantial enquiries by the police, Benjamin Guiver was charged with six offences , including  sexual assault by penetration, GBH, intentional strangulation, trespass with intent to commit a sexual offence, threats to kill and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Guiver pleaded guilty to all six charges when he appeared at court on 10 July.

Lost 

In a statement written by the victim, she described herself as “a shell of her former self” following the incident, constantly feeling “lost, unsafe and on edge”.

She wrote: “I feel as though my life has been turned upside down. I no longer feel safe in my own home which is a feeling I have never experienced before.

“I’ve always been confident and independent, however, that has now been viciously ripped away from me.

“I want so desperately to go back to some kind of normality with my life, however, I know that what has happened is going to continue to haunt me for the rest of my life.”

Described as a ‘violent and dangerous offender’ by the judge, Guiver was sentenced to 20 years in prison at Swansea Crown court on Thursday, 31 October, 2024.

Following sentencing, DCI Briggs said: “The victim in this case has shown immense courage throughout the investigation, and I commend her for that.

“Suffering such an attack in your own home is unimaginable, and – as she detailed in her statement – has impacted every aspect of her life.

“Despite this, she has demonstrated her strength of character every step of the way and worked alongside officers to ensure justice prevailed.

“I would also like to highlight the actions of her relative who intervened during the assault, putting their own safety at risk to ensure further harm was not caused.”