A former UK intelligence worker has been jailed for life for attempting to murder an American woman who worked for the US government’s National Security Agency and was stationed at GCHQ in Gloucestershire.
Joshua Bowles punched and stabbed the woman at a leisure centre 3 miles from the UK intelligence, security and cyber-agency’s Cheltenham base after researching the woman and carrying out surveillance of her.
The prosecution claimed Bowles’s assault on 9 March was a terrorist attack and he had picked his victim, referred to in court only by code number 99230, entirely because of her role in the NSA.
His defence insisted he was not a terrorist and suggested there was an “incel” element to his motive as he was rejected romantically by his victim’s predecessor when he worked at GCHQ as a software coding developer. He had searched on the internet for misogynistic assaults on the day of the attempted murder.
The judge at the Old Bailey, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb ruled Bowles had been motivated by terrorism, a “politically motivated attack” designed to disrupt British and US intelligence work. She said if he had succeeded in killing his target he would have been given a full life term. He was told he would serve at least 13 years in prison before being considered for parole.
In a police interview, Bowles, 29, told police: “The target was selected for her employment at the NSA. Due to the size and resourcing, American intelligence represents the largest contributor within the intelligence community so it made sense as the symbolic target. I consider GCHQ just as guilty.”
After the attack, while he waited for the police, Bowles told a member of the public he could no longer “handle the murky waters of ethics and whether they are doing the right thing and the power that the American NSA have and the things they do”.
He added: “It’s a good job I didn’t have a gun, isn’t it?” and also said: “What have I done? I’ve tried to kill her. I can’t believe this … I just couldn’t face the ethics of it … I make a pretty shit terrorist, don’t I?”
Duncan Penny KC said it was a “pre-meditated, targeted and vicious attack” that had a profound impact on his victim.
Bowles had been an employee of GCHQ until late in 2022. From the start of 2023, he carried out reconnaissance and research on the victim and two predecessors in her role. He researched her personal life and discovered she played netball at a leisure centre in Tommy Taylors Lane in Cheltenham.
The Old Bailey heard that he went there with two knives in a rucksack and waited in a car park for her. Bowles attacked the woman at about 9.15pm as she left the leisure centre with a friend. He was fended off by the victim and her friend. A passerby, Alex Fuentes, stepped in and was punched.
The victim escaped back into the leisure centre. The first knife he used had broken and Bowles followed her inside and used the second one to stab her. She was taken to hospital with multiple stab injuries.
In a victim impact statement, the woman said she was devastated when she learned her attacker had worked at GCHQ. She said: “This attack has had a profound effect on me and it’s utterly and completely changed my life. Months later, my wounds are still sore. I went from being in the best shape I had ever been to being the weakest I have ever been.”
Tim Forte, defending, disputed that the attack was terrorism-related and said Bowles had depression and a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. He said: “There’s no manifesto, there’s no publicity, it’s all covert in his stalking of the unfortunate lady. There’s no purpose or promoting political or ideological cause.”
Forte said Bowles had felt rejected when he asked out 99230’s predecessor and “transferred” the infatuation to his victim. He was also angry because he had not been given a promotion at work, the barrister said.
He added: “There is nothing in this case demonstrating a terrorist cell, it’s an incel.”
The court heard that on the day of the attack Bowles had searched for misogynistic assaults on women and other violent attacks.
Bowles admitted attempted murder and assaulting Fuentes.
