A former British intelligence officer who stabbed his American counterpart will spend over a decade behind bars.
Recently, Old Bailey Judge Bobbie Cheema-Grubb sentenced Joshua Bowles to life in prison with the possibility of parole for the aggravated stabbing of an American female employee of the National Security Agency (NSA). Bowles pleaded guilty and was convicted of attempted murder and assault.
On March 9, Bowles, who had been a software coding developer at GCHQ, accosted the victim, only referred to as “99230,” at the parking lot of a leisure center in Tommy Taylors Lane in Cheltenham where she played netball regularly. According to Sky News, the defendant, who had been in possession of two knives in his rucksack, punched and stabbed her repeatedly. He was fended off by the victim, her friend, a.k.a 25869, and a passerby who also suffered a punch. Though the victim managed to retreat into the leisure center, the defendant pulled out a second knife, followed her, and continued attacking her.
After Bowles’ arrest, the 29-year-old defendant told investigators he chose the victim solely because she worked for the NSA. He explained further to express his fury with the Americans, claiming not to be able to handle anymore the murky waters of ethics and the power of the NSA.
“It’s a good job I didn’t have a gun, isn’t it? I make a pretty shit terrorist, don’t I?,” said Bowles, reported The Guardian.
Bowles’ defense lawyer, Tim Forte, disagreed with the prosecutor’s argument that the defendant’s action should be classified as a terrorism incident. Instead, he argued that his client was depressed and diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder.
99230 spent a week in the hospital and ultimately recovered from her wounds. She had been enrolled in a master’s program and was planning for a half-marathon before the incident.
Bowles will be eligible for parole after spending 13 years in prison.
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