Swindon man who 'sawed' girlfriend's throat guilty of attempted murder

A man who tried to cut his girlfriend's throat when she attempted to break up with him has been convicted of attempted murder.

Sezwin Crasto, 23, inflicted serious injuries on his girlfriend with a craft knife at his home in Swindon on 21 March 2022.

She was left with permanent scarring and changes to her voice.

Crasto admitted a charge of wounding, but was found guilty of attempted murder at trial at Bristol Crown Court.

One of the medical team that saved the woman said he must have used a "sawing" motion to inflict so serious an injury.

Crasto did not react as the jury's verdict was returned.

During the four-day trial, the jury heard Crasto and the victim met at college in 2019 and entered a relationship in 2021.

He became increasingly jealous and controlling particularly after she left home to take up a place at university.

Crasto would often turn up at her student accommodation unannounced after a disagreement, and monitor her social media activity.

He had twice assaulted her - once by slapping and once by biting - following rows about adding male friends on social media.

The woman had returned to Swindon on the day of the attack to renew her passport.

She arranged to meet Crasto at 18:00 GMT in a park to try to break up with him, because he was refusing to accept the relationship was over from phone calls and texts.

But instead, he turned up at her house at 16:30 GMT and dragged her to his own home on Broad Street.

He accused her friends of ruining their relationship and when she stood up to try to leave he knocked her to the floor and attacked her with a knife.

In a police interview, the victim said she believed "this is my last day on the planet" as she lay on her back.

She described holding her hands in a "begging" position to Crasto because she was unable to speak.

It was the defendant's father who tried to pull him off the victim and made him call the emergency services.

While in custody at Gablecross Police Station, Crasto wrote a note reading: "My anger which I am scared of - most dangerous in the world."

It continued: "Why did you take me lightly" and "I was burning into flames".

In his evidence, Crasto admitted refusing to let the victim leave but claimed he had only meant to scare her when he produced the knife.

"I believed she was hiding something so I got more angry, so I made her sit on the chair," he said.

"I was very angry at that stage, then I pushed her and she fell over."

He added: "When she had fallen I was trying to pin her down and she was trying to scratch me. I wanted to scare her so I took out the knife.

"I was trying to pin her down, my dad was trying to pull me back and she was trying to scratch me."

He claimed he caused the injuries accidentally in a struggle with the victim, and as his father tried to pull him away.

Crasto is due to be sentenced later.

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