A woman who left her partner with a large gaping wound to his arm by stabbing him during a row has walked free from court.
Kimberley Blyth and the victim were in a “toxic” relationship and a court heard there had been fault on both sides. After drinking in South Tyneside, they argued and she ended up picking up a knife and stabbing him in the arm.
The victim said he feared she was going to be killed during the attack and has been left with permanent nerve damage, which has affected his work as a bricklayer. Blyth, who is pregnant, admitted unlawful wounding and has now been given a suspended prison sentence.
Newcastle Crown Court heard they met on Facebook and formed a relationship and at the time of the incident, in April 2022, they had been together for around 10 months. The court heard he relationship was “tempestuous”, with allegations of violence and police reports being made by both parties throughout the course of the relationship.
On April 2, 2022, the couple visited a couple of pubs in Boldon, South Tyneside. Shortly after midnight, there was an altercation in the kitchen and Blyth believed that she had been assaulted. She picked up a knife from the knife block and came towards the victim. He raised his left arm to protect himself, and was stabbed.
He rang his mother around 1am and left her a voicemail, fearing that he was going to bleed to death, telling her “please come, she has stabbed me twice. I’m bleeding I’ve never lost this much blood, it has gone through a main artery”.
The police arrived at the address at around 2.10am and the victim answered the door to officers and was covered in blood. At the time, Blyth was upstairs and appeared at the top of stairs and was clearly drunk. She told the officers that she was covered in bruises.
She was arrested and during the trip to the police station, she said to officers “he’s barging into my house, he’s assaulted me, it’s on camera, he battered me in the garden. He’s strangled me at the draining board, so I picked up the knife and just went get away that’s all I’ve done I haven’t murdered him”. She also repeatedly told officers that “it was in self-defence”.
It was noted that she had no injuries upon her arrest, and she declined to see a police nurse while in custody.
The victim was taken to South Tyneside Hospital by paramedics. He was found to have two stab wounds to his left forearm, one of which was a “large gaping wound”. The injuries were cleaned and closed.
In a victim impact statement, he said: “In April 2022 when I was stabbed in the left arm I felt she was going to kill me. At the time of the assault I was stabbed in the left arm to defend myself had I not put my arm up I would probably have been stabbed in the chest and killed.
“I certainly believe that Blyth has tried to kill me that night. As a result of the injuries I have permanent nerve damage for life. I work as a bricklayer having this permanent nerve damage has affected my ability to work.
“I am unable to lay bricks I have to take extended breaks to rest my arm and this does not go down to well with my employer. It take me twice as long to do my job now. I am on amitriptyline tablets for nerve damage and painkillers. The whole incident has affected my sleep and I often wake up at night as have to reposition my arm. I am told I will have this for life.
“I am visiting the doctor regularly and my last visit was two weeks ago. My mental health has been affected because of what Blyth has done to me. She has made false allegations against me which resulted in my arrest but has since all been (no further actioned).
“This has affected my mental wellbeing. I also have a permanent scar to my left arm where I was stabbed and every time I see this it brings it all back. Blyth has shown no remorse or taken responsibility for her actions therefore I would like the courts to take this into consideration when sentencing her.”
Blyth, 36, of Longscar, Hartlepool, who has four previous convictions, pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding and was sentenced to 21 months suspended for two years with 150 hours unpaid work and a five year restraining order by Recorder Brian Whitehead.
Her barrister said she pleaded guilty on the basis she was assaulted and went beyond self-defence in picking up the knife and stabbing him. The court heard Blyth is now pregnant, remorseful and wishes the incident did not happen.
She has a law degree and previously worked in the fraud department at TSB but is currently not working due to mental health issues.
William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
