A woman who stabbed a man twice outside a County Durham home told him he had “two holes” in him and should get to hospital. Laura Thompson lunged at Alan Atkinson with a blade after the pair argued inside a property.
Mr Atkinson initially did not realise he had been injured and asked Thompson if she was trying to stab him, Teesside Crown Court was told. She replied: “I’m not trying, you have got two holes in you, you daft ****, better get yourself to hospital.”
Attack outside Shildon home
Police received a 999 call just before midnight in May reporting that Mr Atkinson had been stabbed and naming Thompson as the person responsible, prosecutor Graham O’Sullivan said. Mr Atkinson had returned home but became worried when he was still bleeding about half an hour later, so he called an ambulance and was taken to James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough.
“He had two wounds to his abdomen, one near the top and one closer to the naval,” Mr O’Sullivan explained. “He underwent a CT scan to assess the depth of the wounds. Fortunately there was no internal organ damage.”
Judge spares attacker jail
Mr Atkinson told police he had gone to visit a friend at a house on Ruby Street in Shildon, where Thompson was present with his friend and another man. He said he argued with Thompson, during which she tried to attack him and he had to push her back. Another man, armed with a machete, then ordered Mr Atkinson to leave, but Thompson followed him and “lunged” at him with what he thought was her hand.
When he asked “What are you trying to do, stab me?”, she gave her response about the two holes. Asked why she had done it, she said: “Start with me and get what you deserve.”
Thompson, 38, of Morton Street in Fence Houses, near Houghton-le-Spring, pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding and possession of a bladed article. She was given a 16-month prison sentence suspended for two years.
Judge Amanda Rippon said she had read a pre-sentence report detailing Thompson’s difficult childhood and its impact. She told Thompson: “You are very lucky you didn’t kill this man. You are very lucky you didn’t cause him really serious injuries. Never take a knife to a person again.”
