A man who was stabbed 18 times by his own mother when he was nine years old says he has forgiven her. David Martin, 25, lived in fear of his mum before she attacked him on the day of a hearing to decide whether he would be put into foster care in November 2010.
Following the brutal attack, she pleaded guilty to attempted murder and was detained indefinitely in a psychiatric hospital. David, who now works as a civil servant, claims social services were aware of a number of “red flags” but decided to leave him with his mother.
The Attack and Aftermath
David Martin was stabbed 18 times when he was nine years old. Speaking to Key Witness: The Moment, David, from the south west England, recalls the moment he nearly died. He said: "She started stabbing me repeatedly, saying, 'you're going to die', over and over again. I was fearing for my life, and I couldn’t get away, it was brutal."
He added: "She told me she would rather have taken my life, than have social services take me away from her. I managed to somehow fight through it, and I don’t understand how."
When he turned 18, he was put back in contact with his mum, who he claims told him she stabbed him because she would rather him die than be taken off her. He cut her out of his life but "forgave" her so he can move on with his life.
A Turbulent Upbringing
David had a "turbulent" upbringing, and a review into his case said his mum suffered from unstable personality disorder and addiction problems. He stated: "I was scared a lot of the time, and it really affected my mental health."
David said that from a young age, he remembers his mother threatening him and said she was using drugs. In 2006, David’s dad got in touch with social services, and asked them for help, as his mum's mental health was deteriorating, he claims. The authorities began to consider putting David in to care, which he says made his mother’s condition worse, as she struggled to handle the pressure.
In 2008, his mum moved out the family home, in a bid to become more stable. David says that things were better during this period, but as soon as his mum moved back in, in 2009, they deteriorated again, causing social services to reconsider putting him into care.
The Day of the Attack
In October 2010, David was placed into temporary foster care, but after a few days, he moved back home, he said. David stated: "I was taken away and then put back - It was really confusing. I just wanted to be safe, but I unfortunately couldn't have that. If they’d kept me in for just another couple of weeks, the stabbing could have been completely avoided."
On November 4, 2010, a court hearing took place, to decide whether David would be taken away from his parents. David's dad attended the hearing, but his mum refused to go and kept David off school. In the lead up to the attack, David noticed a "shift" in the atmosphere.
He told Key Witness: "I look over at my mum, sat in a chair, and she's just staring at me with this intense look. This other side to her that I'd never seen before. It's like evil is the best way I could describe it."
She called the school, and told them David was sick, before coming towards him with a knife, and stabbing him 18 times, in the stomach, legs, arms, and back. David said: "It was so surreal, my brain couldn’t process it. I wasn't even in pain at this point because I'd lost a lot of blood. I felt like I was content - for a second things were calm. I thought I was going to die."
Rescue and Recovery
After a while, she stopped stabbing her son, and went to sit on the sofa. Meanwhile, alarm bells began to ring for David’s headteacher, who, upon realising that David was not in school, phoned the house. Noticing her voice sounded strange on the phone, David’s headteacher assumed she was unwell, and phoned an ambulance.
Around an hour after David was stabbed, a paramedic arrived, assuming they were attending an adult overdose. The paramedic spotted David on the floor, under a blanket, and noted that the child did not look well. David said: "I pulled the blanket off and said, ‘thank you for coming to help me’." He added: "That’s when the paramedic saw my injuries and the knife on the table and connected the dots."
David was rushed to hospital, where he underwent an emergency blood transfusion. He lost his left kidney due to haemorrhaging and lack of blood supply and sustained injuries to his stomach, liver and limbs.
After 42 days, David was discharged from hospital, and was placed with a foster family, where he remained until he was 16. His mum pleaded guilty to attempted murder, at a hearing at crown court, but following psychological assessments, was detained indefinitely in a psychiatric facility, rather than prison.
The judge told the court: "Your stabbing of the boy was repeated and violent. You stabbed him many times to his chest, back and front, and abdomen and you stabbed him with the intention of taking his life. There is no doubt at all in my mind that you need to be detained for a very long time in a secure setting."
