A WOMAN armed with a knife carried out a drunken early hours doorstep attack.

Toni Butters knocked at the back door of a house in Coundon Grange at 5.30am on February 8, last year.

Durham Crown Court heard that on answering the knock, the female householder was grabbed by the hair, by Butters, who pulled her forward, causing her to feel a pain in her eye.

Peter Sabiston, prosecuting, said she feared she had been stabbed, but it was not clear what caused the injury.

A man went from the house to challenge Butters, who ran at him with the 4in-bladed knife and jabbed it at him, causing two puncture wounds to the arm.

He managed to put the defendant to the ground, but in doing so, he may have made contact again with the knife.

The injured woman was taken to hospital for two stitches to the eyebrow wound.

Mr Sabiston said she suffered a 4cm-deep laceration to the left eye brow and a depressed fracture of the right eye.

A metal plate and screws were fitted, and, despite some blurred vision, there was no evidence of an injury to the eye, itself.

Mr Sabiston said it left her scarred above the eye.

He told the court that the victim, who knew Butters only as “an acquaintance”, said the incident left her, “on edge”, fearful of answering the door.

Butters, 24, of Johnson Street, Eldon Lane, who was arrested later that day, exercised her right to silence, but, last week admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm and assault causing actual bodily harm.

Shaun Dryden, mitigating, said, “perversely”, since the incident, Butters has fared well on a community order, with a good support network around her.

Judge Ray Singh said, given her record, “you have not grown out of this violent, thuggish behaviour, I’m afraid.”

But he suspended the 21-month prison sentence for two years, providing she attends 30 probation rehabilitation activity days.

He also put in place a five-year restraining order prohibiting Butters from contacting, or approaching the female victim.

 

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