A 23-year-old man from Gosport has been jailed for four years and six months after pleading guilty to multiple offences including attempted robbery, wounding with intent, and possession of a Class B drug.

David Ward, of Queens Road in Gosport, was sentenced for several offences perpetrated in Gosport in December 2024 at Portsmouth Crown Court last Monday (11 May).

On Tuesday 10 December 2024 officers attended an address on Burnett Road, Gosport, following a report that a 55-year-old man had received injuries to his head and hand. Officers attended and following enquiries Ward was arrested and charged with the following offences, to which he pled guilty at Portsmouth Crown Court on Monday 16 June 2025.

• Attempted robbery of a 55-year-old man on Burnett Road, Gosport, on Tuesday 10 December 2024
• Wounding a 55-year-old man with intent on Burnett Road, Gosport, on Tuesday 10 December 2024
• Two counts of criminal damage on Tuesday 10 December 2024 where Ward damaged roof tiles at two properties on Arundel Road, Gosport
• Possession of a controlled Class B drug on Tuesday 10 December 2024 on Arundel Road, Gosport

A second man from Gosport was acquitted of attempted robbery and wounding with intent at Portsmouth Crown Court on Friday 13 March 2026. The 55-year-old man wounded in the incident has since recovered from the injuries he suffered.

Officer in the case Detective Constable George Aram said, “Ward acted without thought. Making that decision to pick up a bladed weapon creates the very real risk that you could kill or seriously injure someone.

“This case makes that shocking reality clear. The victim in this case survived the injuries inflicted by Ward, but the outcome could have been significantly worse.

“We regularly make proactive efforts to target knife carriers and remove weapons from the streets. This work won’t stop, and we hope that anyone thinking of carrying recognises that there are serious consequences both for themselves and others when they make that decision to pick up a weapon.”

“A dangerous man is now off the streets and our community is all the safer as a result.”