A jealous thug searched up "How many years do you get for killing someone?" before stabbing his former partner in a terrifying attack.
Jack Sutton, 24, wept as he was sentenced on April 19 for the horrifying stabbing that took place on December 10, 2021.
Dad-of-two Sutton, of Scarborough, attacked his ex-girlfriend following their breakup, Yorkshire Live reports.
The pair had been for a meal out in Scarborough to speak amicably about their relationship, and later that evening met up again when the woman realised that Sutton had her ID.
Despite going with a friend that she had been staying with since the end of the relationship, Sutton lured the woman away to a darker street where he slashed and stabbed at her body several times.
A kind-hearted neighbour and the woman's friend shouted at Sutton to stop, but he continued.
Prosecuting, Angus MacDonald told Leeds Crown Court on Tuesday: "The complainant had been in a relationship with him since April 2020 and initially things went well and they moved in together and he became jealous. They broke up a week before the attack and she moved in with her friend.
"On December 10, she met him for a meal in Scarborough and they discussed their relationship on amicable terms. He walked her home and during that time she explained she needed time and space. He became upset and tearful. They left on good terms. She went home and waited for her friend and he contacted her incessantly despite promises he had made."
When the woman's friend returned home, the pair decided to go out and made plans to meet with Sutton in Londesborough Road so he could return her ID. Mr MacDonald told the court the woman refused to meet Sutton alone, and when her and her friend met with him, he asked her to move to an area that was less well lit.
He said: "She recalled that he looked upset and rather than giving her her ID he held it away from her and threatened to break it. She tried to grab it and he pulled a knife from a pocket and pushed her against a wall and began to stab her repeatedly. She fell to the floor and he slashed her face with the knife and continued to stab her torso."
At one point during the terrifying attack, the knife got lodged in the woman's ribs but Sutton continued to attack, punching and kicking the woman. The prosecutor said: "She recalled him saying, 'How could you cheat on me? I'm going to kill you.'"
A man living nearby, and the woman's friend witnessed the attack and the police were called. When officers arrived, Sutton had already fled and was later found hiding in a nearby garden. Mr MacDonald told the court the attack lasted eight minutes.
The woman was taken to York Hospital by police and a CT scan showed her lungs had partially collapsed and her liver had been punctured. Her injuries were classed as life-threatening and she was taken to Hull Royal Infirmary where her wounds were dressed and she was ecentually discharged.
Mr MacDonald said the woman had suffered a number of wounds, including a 13mm stab wound to her chest, a 30mm wound to her shoulder, two wounds to her leg, one measuring 20mm and another measuring 25mm, two wounds measuring 18mm and 17mm to her right arm and a 16mm wound to her forearm.
The prosecutor said Sutton was charged with attempted murder and possession of an offensive weapon, which he pleaded guilty to in March this year. Following his arrest, his blood-stained clothes yielded a DNA which matched the woman's profile. The knife used in the attack was recovered and also yielded a match to the woman's DNA.
Mr MacDonald said mobile phone analysis was carried out on Sutton's phone and found that in the hours before the attack he had searched, "How many years do you get for killing someone?". The phone showed it had travelled to the scene of the crime.
In a victim personal statement, the woman told how "the attack had changed everything about her and everything around her".
She said she has had to learn to become left-handed due to muscle damage she suffered during the stabbing and is now "withdrawn" and a "different person to what she was before". She is also "scared of going out and struggles to sleep and has constant nightmares".
The court was told that Sutton had no previous convictions, but two cautions, one of which was for an attack in 2019 on a woman in her own home. Mr MacDonald said Sutton had strangled the woman and threw a coffee table at her.
Mitigating, Glenn Parsons, said a number of character references, including one from Sutton's ex-partner and mother of his two children, had been provided to the court.
He said: "He was 23 years-of-age, was immature and had been suffering to some degree with his mental health due to a combination of excessive use of alcohol and cocaine use and isolation from lockdown. This was an abhorration and behaviour that was seriously out of character. He has very little recollection of what possessed him. He was clearly unable to cope with the breakdown of the relationship."
Sutton - who appeared in court via video link from HMP Hull - sobbed as Judge Tom Bayliss QC sentenced him to 16 years in prison with an extended licence period of four years. The judge told him: "I'm quite sure you are a jealous man and it was jealousy that led you to it. Your jealousy got the better of you."
He added: "Whether she will ever recover mentally is another issue. I'm sure there is there is a darker side to you which is apparent to your mother as she said in her statement: "He's a drug addict who needs help and support to overcome this."
Judge Bayliss told Sutton he poses a risk as he "carefully planned the attack" with an aim to "kill the victim". He added: "In my judgement you pose a risk to anyone who you enter a close relationship with."
Sutton will have to serve two-thirds of his sentence in custody before applying to the Parole Board who will assess whether he is safe to release. He will then serve the rest of his sentence on licence, and then an extended licence period of four years.
Reacting to Sutton's sentencing, Detective Chief Inspector Graeme Wright, Crime Commander of Scarborough and Ryedale Police, said: “This was an extremely brutal and frightening attack in which the victim was very lucky to escape with her life.
“Sutton now accepts that his actions that night were reprehensible and could have resulted in fatal injuries to the brave victim. He now has plenty of time to reflect on this incident and hopefully take on board every opportunity to reform his ways.
“Deserved praise and gratitude also go to our fast-acting Response Team colleagues who were first on the scene. They gave the victim emergency first aid and quickly got her to the hospital in their police van before an ambulance could be dispatched.
“They are a credit to themselves and reflect the proud values and traditions of North Yorkshire Police officers and staff.”
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