When little Elva Derbyshire was throttled by a man in the New Forest, she hoped feigning death would keep her alive. SHE was courageous and wise beyond her years. Elva Derbyshire feigned death after being attacked while exercising her pony in the New Forest.

And that remarkable insight almost certainly save her life.

The nine-year-old was riding across heathland near Dibden on a summer’s evening when she was attacked by a stranger who tried to throttle her with his neck tie.

The attacker then repeatedly kicked her about the head and body, before running off into woodland.

Little Elva suffered a fractured skull and was detained at the children’s hospital in Southampton.

The man was later to claim he never intended to hurt her.

The girl was living with her grandmother, a New Forest magistrate, who told the Echo: “When I saw Elva at the hospital she told me she deliberately feigned being dead when the man came back to her and attacked her.

“She said she had read something of the same thing. She must have been very brave to do it. The police say so savage was the attack it might be that the child saved herself by remaining so still until the man had gone.”

Elva’s mother, Margaret Derbyshire, lived in London, but Elva and her younger sister lived with their grandmother at Deanslake, Hythe.

Elva often took her pony, Pepper, out for rides on the fringe of the Forest, and the horrific atttack on June 27, 1960 happened just over a mile from her home and quite close to a main road.

Elva’s grandmother, Mrs Barnes, became concerned when she when she didn’t return, and her daughter, Susan, rode out to find her.

She discovered Elva being carried back to the house by workmen who had found her.

For hours after the attack, police with tracker dogs and local residents combed the area to trace her assailant.

A massive manhunt was raised under the command of Det Supt Wally Jones, head of Hampshire CID, and Det Insp Cyril Holdaway, in charge of New Forest CID.

They issued a description of the wanted man. He was described as being about 21 years old, 5ft 6in and slim, with dark, straight hair and a pale complexion. He had been wearing a light grey suit, plain black shoes and a white shirt, and had been carrying cameras in a brown canvas bag with a lighter brown plastic edging and a press-stud fastner with a brown shoulder strap.

Before the frenzied attack, which happened shortly after 5pm, he had been seen walking through Dibden towards Beaulieu and was later identified as being in the vicinity of the Beaulieu station.

About 50 officers were drafted in, as well two tracker dogs – Orris and Vicky, with handler PC W Dyer – who quickly picked up a scent through to King’s Hat enclosure beside the Beaulieu-Colbury road, where it petered out.

Council worker FW Noble, who lived in Bladon Road, Southampton, told the Echo he was filling up a tractor with fuel at a disused gravel pit near Dibden Purlieu when he heard a cry for help and saw a girl approach.

“From her appearance as she was wearing a riding habit and carrying a riding hat,” he said. “I asked her if she’d had a riding accident. She replied that a man had tried to strangle her.

“Her face looked a mess, there were marks on her neck and her shoulder was hurt.”

Mr Noble said the girl was coherent and wanted to be reunited with her grandmother. “She must have had a lot of pluck,” he added.

Her pony was found grazing a short distance away from the scene of the assault.

Because of her injuries and at the request of doctors, police were unable to quiz Elva at the hospital for two days. Neither Elva, nor others living in the neighbourhood had seen the suspect before and detectives believed he was a stranger to the area.

They launched an appeal asking for any motorist or lorry driver who had given him a lift to come forward.

The following day, police released further information about the attack, in which Elva had asked the stranger: “You don't come from around here, do you?” He replied: “No, I come from Portsmouth.”

Police concentrated their inquiries on local bus services and the Hythe Ferry that had sailed to Southampton about half an hour after the assault. In particular, they wanted to find three passengers – two girls and a man – who had caught the 5.30pm sailing.

Three days later, on July 5, Ronald Keith Sawyer, 19, of Portal Road, Sholing, Southampton, appeared before the town magistrates accused of trying to murder Elva.

Det Con Edwin Smith, from Hythe police station, told the court how Sawyer had apparently led Elva’s pony away while she was riding it.

He then removed his tie, placed it around her neck and tried to strangle her.

“He then kicked her a number of times to the face before running away. Inquiries were made and at 3.45pm yesterday, I saw the accused at his home in company with Det Sgt Rowe.

“I told the accused the nature of our inquiry and, after questioning him, told him I was not satisfied with his explanations and was taking him back to Hythe police station.

“While on the journey and nearing Hythe, the accused said: ‘I did do it. I did come over on the ferry. I didn’t mean to hurt her.’ “At 6.45pm he was cautioned and charged with attempting to murder the girl.”

The hearing lasted for just five minutes and Sawyer was remanded into custody.

At the committal proceedings on August 30, it was revealed that Sawyer was on a fortnight’s leave from a Calmore mental hospital at the time of the attack.

Peter Smith, prosecuting, told Lymington magistrates that Elva had twice seen Sawyer as she was riding her pony on the heathland, before he tried to persuade her to show him the way to a clump of trees. Initially she refused but was persuaded to do and Sawyer led Pepper by the bridle, the court heard.

Halfway there, Elva said she did not want to go any further and Sawyer said he wanted to take a photo of her. He asked her to get off her pony but she refused. Sawyer then asked for her name and address on the pretext he would send her the picture.

The teenager was then alleged to have exposed himself, put his tie round Elva’s neck and dragged her off the pony.

“She lay on the ground for some time and when she looked up, she saw the accused some way away from her and coming towards her,” said Mr Smith. “He was shouting something like ‘Are you all right, little girl?’ Then he came up and kicked her four or five times in the face.

“She started to struggle but then resourcefully pretended to be dead and the accused went away.”

Mr Smith said that before the incident a student mental nurse from Tatchbury Mount had seen Sawyer as he left the ferry at Hythe, camera in hand.

Initially Sawyer denied he had been on the ferry but later confessed, telling police: “I didn’t mean to hurt the little girl. Is she all right now? I don’t want to go back, I want a job.”

In a statement, Sawyer admitted he had pretended to take Elva’s photo.

“The next thing I knew I took her. I didn’t know what I was doing. I took my tie off, but I don’t know what I did with it, only that I picked it up afterwards.

“The little girl was on the ground and I thought she was dead. I read she was kicked but I don’t remember doing it.”

He recalled running to the roadside but could not get a lift. He caught a bus back to Hythe and then got the ferry.

“That night I thought of going to the police and giving myself up but I thought it would upset my mother,” he said.

Elva told magistrates how the man had offered her half a crown to ride on the back of her pony but she declined.

He then suggested she should give him a ride towards woods she believed was called Three Noads. Again she refused but agreed to show him the way.

“Pepper did not want to go with the man but the man took hold of the bridle. He led him all the way and stopped at a bush,” she said.'

Elva was asked if she recognised the man in court and she pointed at Sawyer, saying: “I think so.”

Then she became distressed, and when she recovered she said: “I’m not sure.”

She then described how, after taking off his tie, he told her: “Don’t worry, little girl. I’m not going to hurt you.”

She then related how the man came closer and wanted her to undo her buttons but she pushed him away. He then put the tie around her neck, she felt her feet come out of the stirrups and fell to the floor.

“He sort of pulled me up, bouncing me,” she said. “I still had the tie around my neck. I don’t know how long it went on. He suddenly let go and I lay on the ground for a few minutes. Then I sat up.”

Elva said the man kicked her in the face and after she had played dead, he left.

Sawyer was committed for trial at Hampshire Assizes, where he pleaded guilty on December 1 to causing grievous bodily harm with intent. His plea of not guilty to attempting to strangle Elva was accepted by the prosecution.

The court heard from Ian Angus, medical officer at Winchester Prison, that Sawyer was mentally sub-normal.

Mr Justice Cassels ordered Sawyer to be detained at Rampton Mental Institution.