Police continue to question two men after woman is brutally stabbed in Portsmouth street

Police at the scene of the stabbing in North End on Saturday
Police at the scene of the stabbing in North End on Saturday

Police are today continuing to question two men arrested after a 35-year-old woman was stabbed in the back outside Barclays in Portsmouth.

The incident happened in London Road, North End, at 3.30pm in front of horrified shoppers.

A 42-year-old man of no fixed address was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder yesterday morning.

That followed an arrest on Saturday when a 41-year-old man from Portsmouth was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder. Both are currently in police custody.

Shoppers looked on in horror as the woman was stabbed in the back with a knife outside the bank at 3.20pm.

She was taken to Queen Alexandra Hospital in Cosham in a serious condition after the incident, although her injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.

A 59-year-old man, who was doing his shopping in North End, told The News: ‘We saw this woman outside the bank on the floor with a lot of people around her.

‘A woman working in one of the shops said the woman had been stabbed in the back.

‘When we came back down the road the police were not there, but then they started to turn up. The woman was still on the floor and she had a massive big knife in the top of her neck and they could not move her. It had all been taped off.’

The eyewitness said it was understood the attacker – who was believed to be known by the victim – was seen running in the direction of Kingston Crescent.

It is believed the stabbing followed an argument between the victim and the attacker.

The eyewitness added: ‘The knife was protruding from the top of the woman’s spine and had a big black handle.

‘When you hear of somebody being stabbed, you think how is this happening at 3pm on a Saturday afternoon?’

Gary Hale, who works at Cash Generator, across the street from the bank said he felt ‘sick’ after seeing the aftermath of the incident.

He said: ‘Me and my manager both saw the lady on the floor outside the bank. I went over and a young lad spoke to me and me and my manager flagged the police car down by holding traffic.

‘I felt sick to think an awful thing could happen in broad daylight. The woman looked petrified.’