Knife attacker sent to prison
Victim subjected to a ‘petrifying’ attack.
An Axminster man has been jailed for holding a knife to his partner’s neck during a ‘distressing’ and ‘psychologically damaging’ attack.
Stanley Brenton Hood, formerly of The Cricketers, was sentenced to 23 weeks in prison for assaulting his ex-partner.
The 25-year-old pleaded guilty to the offence and appeared in custody at Central Devon Magistrates’ Court last Thursday.
The court heard the attack occurred in the early hours of December 17 after the victim, who suffers with health issues, had returned home after spending an evening with friends at a karaoke night in a local pub.
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She was confronted by Hood in an ‘uncontrollable temper’ who accused her of being unfaithful and grabbed her by the neck, shaking her.
The victim headed towards the kitchen and was later followed by the defendant, who grabbed a sharp kitchen knife from a knife block behind her and held it to her throat, saying: “I could just do it.”
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She suffered mild bruising and scratches.
Following the attack, she stayed in the house and was only encouraged to report the incident to police after her parents noticed marks on her body.
Mark Haddow, prosecuting, said the victim was ‘petrified’ and believed she was going to have her throat slit.
He said: “It was not a momentary, fleeting, incident; the knife was being held for a sustained period.”
The court heard Hood suffered with jealousy and control issues and the relationship had been “volatile at times”.
Mr Haddow said the attack had a considerable psychological impact on the victim, who has only now been able to ‘pick up the pieces of her life’. Mr Haddow added: “What happened that night has blighted her life quite severely and will take her some time to recover from.”
Richard Parkhouse, defending, said Hood, originally from Glasgow, had a difficult upbringing and was frequently beaten, which had forced him to leave the family home at the age of 18 and subsequently meant he had been living ‘on and off the streets’ for much of his life.
Hood was also ordered to comply with a restraining order, prohibiting him from contacting the victim and others, or attending specified addresses.
