CHORLTON, England -- A man who repeatedly stabbed a 74-year-old woman at a British bus stop was caught after he spat on the sidewalk.
The victim was waiting for a bus in Chorlton near Manchester, northwestern England, when David Walters, 22, stabbed her six times and shouted "Die! Die!" during the unprovoked attack, the Manchester Evening News reported Friday.
After the frenzied Dec. 30 attack, local police checked nearby CCTV footage for evidence. They found images of a man who, while approaching the crime scene with a knife, stopped and spat on the sidewalk.
The spit was then gathered by officers as DNA evidence and the results were run through a national database. Walters was found to be a DNA match.
He was arrested the following day and pleaded guilty in Manchester Crown Court to a charge of attempted murder.
The woman, who was also punched in the face, suffered puncture wounds and cuts to her back, hand and stomach as she tried to protect herself.
Greater Manchester Police Detective Inspector Lee Price said the elderly victim was left "petrified and severely traumatized" by her attack.
"This was a random and unprovoked attack," Price said. "I have no doubt that the attacker was intent on killing her."
Walters was set to be sentenced April 2.
