A WOMAN who accused her husband of “flirting” with a taxi driver returning from a night out, launched a knife attack on him when they got home, a court heard.

Deborah Greenland, who has previously attacked her now estranged husband with a bottle at a pub, was unhappy with the way he chatted to a taxi driver who was driving them home shortly after 9pm, on April 23.

Durham Crown Court was told on arriving home she accused him of having an affair.

Jon Harley, prosecuting, said: “At that point she ‘flipped’, pushed him back onto the kitchen floor, jumped on him and placed both hands round his neck in a strangling motion.”

Her husband felt blood in his mouth and throat, and, believing he was going to pass out, shouted at her to get off.

But she then ran at him and he reacted by putting his arms up to protect himself.

Mr Harley said the victim felt a pain in his left arm and right leg, and as Greenland moved back to the kitchen, he went out awaiting the arrival of police.

Greenland, herself, rang 999, telling the call handler she had stabbed her husband and they ought to come quickly, “because I now intend to do it properly.”

Her husband suffered a small cut to the left ear, a small stab wound to the left arm, a gash to his left little finger, plus small cuts to the right hand and right leg.

Mr Harley said although the victim had not wanted to seek medical attention, he did give a statement in which he said, given the two attacks on him, he felt it had, “knocked me down”, and he no longer trusts his estranged wife.

He said he has since changed the locks, so she is unable to get into his home.

Her three previous convictions include the offence arising from the bottle attack, in a Spennymoor pub, in 2018.

Mr Harley said although the victim did not give any details of the ongoing effect from the injuries he did agree to the imposition of a restraining order to provide some protection from Greenland.

The 52-year-old defendant, of Linden Court, Spennymoor, admitted a single count of assault causing actual bodily harm, arising from the incident, having previously denied wounding with intent.

Her plea was “accepted” by the Crown at a hearing earlier this month.

Victoria Lamballe, for Greenland, said, had the case gone to trial, her client’s case was to have been self-defence.

Judge Ray Singh said she had, indeed, “flipped” which was, “probably fuelled by alcohol”, before she launched the attack.

Passing a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, he put in place a restraining order, prohibiting Greenland from contacting, “directly or indirectly”, or approaching her estranged husband, for five years.

He also made Greenland subject of 35 rehabilitation activity days with the Probation Service, and warned her failure to comply or further offending would see her locked up.

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