An Ilford teenager has been jailed for nine years, with an extended licence period to protect the public, for a "frenzied and inexplicable" attack on a sleeping woman.

Raekwon Jemmison was just 16 when he stabbed Siobhan Phillips 15 times inside her Needham Market bungalow near Ipswich in October 2019.

Jemmison, who is now 18, formerly of Green Lane, Ilford, appeared before Ipswich Crown Court on Tuesday (May 25) to be sentenced for attempted murder, having been convicted by a jury in February.

Miss Phillips, then aged 29, was found badly hurt in the driveway of a neighbour's home in Quinton Road, Ipswich at about 6am on October 19, 2019.

She suffered injuries to her kidney, bowel, lung and liver, and suffered long-term psychological trauma as a result of the attack.

Jemmison, who had come to Suffolk on about 10 occasions before the attack in order to set up a county line drugs operation, initially confessed to the attack after travelling back to London the following day.

However, he later denied stabbing Miss Phillips when she refused to let him sell drugs from her property.

Ryan Thompson, mitigating, said Jemmison was a young man with a chaotic upbringing, who had been diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder in prison and assessed by a psychiatrist as vulnerable to exploitation.

For the first time, said Mr Thompson, Jemmison had been receiving one-to-one counselling to address previously undiagnosed issues.

Judge Emma Peters said Jemmison had been responsible for a "frenzied and inexplicable" attack on Miss Phillips.

She sentenced him to nine years' custody with an extended licence period of five years after ruling he posed a significant risk of serious harm.

Following the hearing, Det Insp Stephen Clarke, of Bury St Edmunds CID, said: "This was a particularly nasty attack where the injuries have left the victim with significant long term impact which she is still recovering from."

Det Con Sarah Warner, the officer in charge of the investigation, said: "The victim showed great courage and bravery in giving her evidence at court.

"Reliving the attack that Jemmison subjected her to, and which left her in intensive care, must have been extremely difficult for her, but I hope she feels a sense of closure now he has been given this custodial sentence.”