A "good wife" who stabbed her partner in the spine during a drunken row has walked free from court.
Mum Kirsty Wilson stuck a knife an inch into Liam Brady's spinal column during an argument while their young child was in the house. A judge told her she was lucky she didn't paralyse or kill him.
But after hearing she had no previous convictions, had undertaken work to address her behaviour and had got back together with her victim, a judge at Newcastle Crown Court said he would let her home to be with her family.
Read more: Gosforth domestic violence thug who strangled and dragged partner by hair walks free
It was on August 7, 2021 that police were called to their home in Shiney Row. Mr Brady tried to cover for Wilson and said he had been stabbed by intruders but police were suspicious about the account and found a kitchen knife with blood on its tip in the house.
Mr Brady was bleeding heavily and taken to hospital, where he was found to have a stab wound which had penetrated an inch into his spine. Emma Dowling, prosecuting, said: "A doctor said it must have required some force because it went through the spinal column and she must have been standing directly behind him when she stabbed him."
When quizzed, Wilson denied it at first then "cracked" and confessed. Miss Dowling said: "She said she couldn't remember doing it, she said they were drunk and were arguing over the course of the evening. It was not over anything particularly serious."
The court heard Mr Brady did not make a formal complaint and the couple have now reconciled and after doing a domestic violence course aimed at addressing her behaviour, she was allowed to live back at the family home.
Wilson, of Swaledale Crescent, Penshaw, Houghton-le-Spring, pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding and was sentenced to 12 months suspended for two years with rehabiliation and 100 hours unpaid work.
Recorder Andrew Smith told her: "I'm not going to lock you up, I'm going to allow you to go back to your family. That's not to say I don't take the view this is not a serious offence. Whatever was going on, you lashed out in a very very dangerous way.
"He was lucky not to be paralysed, you were lucky not to kill him. Obviously this must not happen again."
But he added: "You are of good character, you have done work with social services, I'm confident you are remorseful. You are a good wife and a good mother."
Kate Barnes, defending, said Wilson was suffering anxiety, depresion, stress and grief issues but has now stopped drinking. She added that there's no history of domestic violence in the relationship and said: "This has been an incredibly stark wake-up call."
Read next:
- South Tyneside businessman threatened and ordered to sack staff in blackmail plot
- High risk child sex offender sent back to prison for offences in Newcastle days after being released
- Wallsend former physio's child abuse images stash included baby being abused
- Killingworth pervert's secretly shot footage of children and woman found by horrified ex
- Halloween horror: Cowardly brute strangled partner and stamped on her in terrifying Blyth attack
