Woman Spared Jail After Stabbing Abusive Drunk Ex-Partner

Subjected to an abusive relationship, a woman ended up stabbing her former partner in self-defense. 36-year-old Emma Westwood was sentenced at Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester, United Kingdom.

The court heard how her former partner 36-year-old Christopher Clark assaulted the woman, breached a restraining order and threatened her with a broken bottle. Due to the history of domestic violence, the court gave a suspended sentence for the mother-of-two.

Westwood and Clark had been in a relationship in 2018. They dated for around a year. During the time that they were dating, Clark reportedly was physically violent towards his partner. In September 2019 he was convicted of assault and sending malicious communications to Westwood. Due to his conviction, he had to serve a three-year restraining order.

However, for 18-months Clark ignored the order and kept trying to communicate with Westwood. In February 2020 he was jailed for breaching the restraining order. He served the 26-week prison term during which Westwood relocated to try and get away from her stalker, Manchester Evening News reported.

Despite Westwood trying to conceal her new address from Clark, he was able to track her down. At 3:00 a.m. on April 17, 2021, Clark went to the woman’s home in an inebriated state. Prosecutor Mark Kellet told the court that Clark had consumed cider and vodka in copious amounts before going to Westwood’s home.

He reportedly broke down the door to Westwood’s home and entered. He had an argument with the woman. Daily Mail reported that the man argued with the woman and threatened her with a broken bottle. Westwood told police that the two had been in the kitchen when she was threatened. In self-defense, she grabbed a knife and stabbed Clark.

Clark sustained stab wounds to his chest and arm. He went onto the street where he passed out. Westwood’s father called emergency services. The emergency services were able to resuscitate Clark. He recovered from his injuries.

On Friday, Dec. 17, Westwood appeared in Minshull Crown Court. She had initially been charged with wounding Clark with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. Accepting a plea deal, Westwood pleaded guilty to a lesser charge. For the charge of unlawful wounding, she was sentenced to 16-months in prison. However, taking the circumstances into consideration her sentence was suspended for two years.