A HEAVILY intoxicated woman rang 999 to report her partner was suffering with knife wounds which she inflicted.

Katherine Louise Quinnell told the call handler she had attacked him with a knife because they had been arguing, at her home in Seaham, in the early hours of September 14, last year.

Durham Crown Court heard when asked by the telephonist why it happened, she said her partner was trying to get to sleep, but could not, and she thought she had also “bust his nose”.

Quinnell also revealed it was not the first time she had attacked him with a knife, having done so, “a couple of years ago”.

She added that she also hit him with a frying pan.

Paul Cleasby, prosecuting, said she was still talking to the 999 operator when police arrived at the house and found Quinell’s partner outside, bleeding from the stab wounds.

He told the officers they had been arguing because she would not let him go to sleep and, suddenly, she “flipped”, using a kitchen knife to stab him in the back of the shoulder and in the back of his torso, before hitting him with the frying pan.

The victim said he ran from the house for his own safety.

Mr Cleasby said he was taken to hospital, where, on examination, it was discovered there was no internal organ damage and both wounds were treated non-surgically, with the insertion of suture-type stitches in the accident and emergency department.

Despite her earlier telephone confession, Quinnell gave no replies during her police interview.

But, at an earlier hearing, the 34-year-old defendant, of Parkside Crescent, Seaham, who appeared via video link from Low Newton Prison, admitted unlawful wounding.

Dan Cordey, in mitigation, said the defendant suffers with both mental health difficulties and post traumatic stress disorder and is in need of treatment to address her intake of alcohol.

He said that although Quinnell has prescribed medication for her mental health problems, she had not been taking it at the time of the offence.

Mr Cordey said while the offence, “clearly crosses the custody threshold”, after five months on remand in custody, it may be in the public interest to address her issues in the community.

But Recorder Darren Preston said the attack was too serious to merit anything other than an immediate prison sentence.

He said it was lucky for both the victim and the defendant that the injuries were not more serious, in the circumstances.

Recorder Preston imposed a 25-month prison sentence and made Quinnell subject of a restraining order, not to approach or contact the victim, “until further order”.