A 'dangerous' criminal has been jailed for 12 years after strangling a woman he'd just met, just two days after being released from prison.

Joshua Taylor, previously from Letchworth, was found guilty of strangulation, false imprisonment, ABH and two assaults on police following a trial at St Albans Crown Court in October last year.

The 32-year-old met the woman in a Stevenage pub on July 30, 2022, and the pair shared a taxi.

Detective Constable Pippa Mason said: “Taylor insisted the woman came back to the Holiday Inn in St Georges Way, where he was staying.

"As soon as they reached his room, Taylor became aggressive towards the woman physically assaulting her and causing her to fear for her own life.

"When she tried to escape, he pulled her by her hair and put a mobile phone charger around her neck, so she was unable to breathe.”

Eventually, she was able to escape by putting her fingers between the ligature and her neck and she got into a lift and got help from staff at the hotel.

She was left "fearing for her life' following the assault, which left with severe injuries to both eyes and bruises all over her body".

When police arrived on the scene, Taylor punched one officer in the face and bit two others.

DC Mason added: "Taylor could easily have killed the woman, who he had just met. Fortunately she was able to escape and get help. 

"This was a terrifying ordeal for the woman, who received serious injuries to her neck and her eyes.  The impact of that night has had an understandably devastating impact on her, she has struggled psychologically and suffers from PTSD which has caused her to move house."

Just two days before the attack, Taylor had been released from prison for a similar assault on a woman in Plymouth in 2021.

Sentencing him, Recorder Stephen Lennard described Taylor as a "dangerous offender", and said the likelihood of him reoffending was extremely high, applying an extended 12 year sentence to protect women.

DC Mason said: "The judge recognised how dangerous Taylor is and imposed a lengthy sentence. I hope this sends out a reassuring message to all women and girls.”