Chelmsford: Man jailed for attempted murder of his wife at their home

Thanks to the tireless work of officers in our Serious Crime Directorate, a man who admitted the attempted murder of his wife has been jailed.

Besim Nezha of Legg Street, Chelmsford was jailed for 18 years for the attempted murder of his wife at their home when he appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court on Friday 26 January.

The 52-year-old pleaded guilty to the charge at the same court on Friday 29 September 2023.

On the afternoon of Saturday 10 June 23, we were notified of a seriously injured woman inside an address in Legg Street, Chelmsford.

Officers responded immediately and located a heavily blood-stained woman who had sustained a significant wound to her neck amongst other injuries. 

An investigation was quickly launched by the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate to establish the events leading up to the serious assault. 

The victim had been subjected to a prolonged attack: she tried to escape once and was dragged back into the property where the attack continued. Her son tried to assist by restraining Besim Nezha and taking a weapon from him. The victim was seriously injured by two knives and a pair of scissors. 

Teams from across the force, led by the Serious Crime Directorate, worked tirelessly in the immediate hours after the incident to obtain the charge of attempted murder.

Detective Chief Inspector Louise Metcalfe, who led the investigation, said:
The victim was incredibly lucky that a doctor in first attendance was able to provide the critical care she needed, that she survived this chilling attack.
I want to praise her strength of character, that she has been able to support our investigation whilst recovering from her ordeal and that she should be proud knowing that she has seen justice served here today.
I know that she is grateful to all the emergency services who saved her life and she wants to express her personal thanks.
I want to thank my own officers who worked closely with the family to earn their trust and support and to thank colleagues across the force, in particular, North CID who were instrumental on the night of the incident.
My officers’ dedication led to securing the overwhelming evidence that meant Besim Nezha had no choice but to plead guilty and has resulted in a dangerous man being jailed today for many years.