A convicted murderer who stabbed a woman 71 times with a screwdriver in a frenzied attack has been jailed for attempted murder.

Dangerous Nicholas Fryers, who was described by one officer as a “genuine threat to all women”, was sentenced to life in prison after viciously stabbing his victim, who found he had pictures of her saved on his phone.

The 57-year-old was working at a Sainsbury’s distribution centre in Dartford on day release when the 140-second assault took place.

Fryers had previously served more than 30 years for killing his partner in Wales back in 1993 after he stabbed her with a dagger 23 times.

He was convicted of attempted murder at Maidstone Crown Court last year following a trial, where it was explained how while attacking his victim, which was caught on CCTV, the convict asked her: “Do you want to die?”

The serious assault occurred after Fryers’s victim told him she was planning to report him to the authorities and he faced losing his privileges and being sent back to a higher-category jail after the pair had a fallout.

Fryers said he was angry with his “friend", adding: "I wanted to hurt her, but I couldn't live with myself if I had killed her."

After several days of a trial, Fryers changed his plea to guilty for wounding with intent but still denied attempted murder.

Fryers previously told the court he lives with the murder he committed 30 years ago "every single day,” before adding: “I wouldn't put anyone including myself through that ever again."

His frenzied attack was caught on camera after meeting his fellow worker in April last year.

As the incident was unfolding two men, who also worked at the site, separately entered the car park and tried to intervene to stop the assault.

Fryers then got into his vehicle and fled the car park. The victim was able to run from the scene and obtain first aid before later being taken to Darent Valley Hospital and treated for her injuries.

Before Fryers drove out of the car park, one of the men who attempted to intervene was able to remove his car registration plate.

A jury heard the victim's thick outer clothing "may have saved her life" as the blows were delivered.

After the savage attack, Fryers fled to Lancashire where he was later arrested at the Charnock Richard motorway stop after trying to ram a police car.

The victim, who worked as a "trainer and buddy" for new employees at the depot, met Fryers who was under a scheme from HMP Standford Hill on Sheppey, which allowed inmates to work there.

Prosecutor Ali Dewji told the jury how the victim was assigned to train Fryers, of no fixed address, who offered her a lift from Dartford railway station, which was “a risk” for the convicted killer.

Mr Dewji explained: “He was required to travel by the most direct route to and from the centre and detouring to the railway station to pick up a friend or work colleague was a clear breach of that condition."

“This was risky behaviour by Fryers because the temporary release is not an entitlement, it is at the discretion of the prison.

"Breaching the terms and conditions of his temporary release could result in him losing his temporary license and being recalled to prison. It could also result in him being moved from open conditions to closed conditions which are much more strict.

Mr Dewji added that it could potentially hurt his eligibility for release on parole.

He said: "Fryers took that risk in order to cultivate his friendship with her. He deliberately parked in a far corner of the distribution centre’s car park to avoid attention.

"However, over time, Fryers’s behaviour toward her became obsessive, which took many forms, including messaging her and her partner excessively and sending her explicit videos."

Then during a conversation Fryers said he wanted to become her “boyfriend on the side, but without the sex”.

The victim rejected the idea and said she was not interested in men and the pair later argued after she found out Fryers had been keeping photos of her on his phone without her knowledge.

He claimed there was an argument when she discovered that Fryers had been keeping photos of her on his phone without her knowledge and she ended the friendship.

Fryers urged her to reconsider and demanded she repay the money he’d spent on gifts for her.

"She threatened that if he persisted in demanding money he would be reported for the prison breaches."

The defendant then went missing for “quite some time”, before he asked her to come to his car to get her things because he was going to leave early.

The prosecutor added that as they arrived at the car, he shouted “I f***** hate you” before pulling her to the ground by her hair, limiting her ability to move and defend herself.

Fryers then started attacking her head, side, neck, and stomach with a screwdriver.

The victim told how her vision went blurry, and she remembers scrabbling on the floor and then getting up.

Mr Dewji added: "She was dizzy and out of breath, but managed to get back to the reception area of the distribution centre."

Sentencing Fryers to life imprisonment, Judge Philip St John-Stevens said: “This was a brutal and sustained attack.

“The attack was seen on video and involved 71 blows over four different phases.

“Two people tried to intervene and you threatened them. Despite this you carried on and deliberately aimed at a vulnerable part of her neck.

“It’s clear the trigger – as it was before when you murdered your partner – was the fact you just can’t control your anger when those you are emotionally attached to reject your control or relationship.”

Judge St John-Stevens went on to describe Fryers as a “dangerous” man who “presents a risk” to people.

She was exceptionally lucky to escape without serious injury

Senior investigating officer Detective Inspector Ross Gurden said: “This was a terrifying incident in which Fryers launched a vicious attack on a young woman who was alone with him in a car park.

“He completely lost control and attempted to inflict as much injury to the victim as he could.

“It is with only sheer luck that the victim did not lose her life on the night of this incident. He denied the offences and put her through the ordeal of a trial, forcing her to relive the horrendous details.

“He is a dangerous individual, and today he has quite rightly been handed a lengthy sentence.”

Manjit Bath, from CPS South East, added: “This was a terrifying attack that Fryers had planned, luring his victim to the car park before repeatedly stabbing her.

“She was exceptionally lucky to escape without serious injury and none of us can imagine the trauma she has been through as a result.

“There was no dispute in this case that Fryers had attacked his victim, but he claimed he did not intend to seriously injure or kill her, despite the fact that his attack lasted for almost two and a half minutes.

“Thanks to expert evidence that Fryers had used a severe level of force in his attack, we were able to prove that he had attempted to murder his victim.

“This was backed up by evidence from two witnesses, who tried to intervene and described the attack as “sustained, brutal and frenzied.”