Penshaw Woman walks free after stabbing partner in the Spine in front of child

A Penshaw woman who stabbed her partner in the spine following a “drunken argument” has avoided prison.

Mum Kirsty Wilson stuck a knife an inch into Liam Brady’s spinal column during an argument while their young child was in the house. A judge told her she was lucky she didn’t paralyse or kill him.

But after hearing she had no previous convictions, had undertaken work to address her behaviour and had got back together with her victim, a judge at Newcastle Crown Court said he would let her home to be with her family.

On August 7, 2021 police were called to their home in Shiney Row. Mr Brady tried to cover for Wilson and said he had been stabbed by intruders but police were suspicious about the account and found a kitchen knife with blood on its tip in the house.

Mr Brady was bleeding heavily and taken to hospital, where he was found to have a stab wound which had penetrated an inch into his spine. Emma Dowling, prosecuting, said: “A doctor said it must have required some force because it went through the spinal column and she must have been standing directly behind him when she stabbed him.”

When quizzed, Wilson denied it at first then “cracked” and confessed. Miss Dowling said: “She said she couldn’t remember doing it, she said they were drunk and were arguing over the course of the evening. It was not over anything particularly serious.”

The court heard Mr Brady did not make a formal complaint and the couple have now reconciled and after doing a domestic violence course aimed at addressing her behaviour, she was allowed to live back at the family home.

Wilson, of Swaledale Crescent, Penshaw, Houghton-le-Spring, pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding and was sentenced to 12 months suspended for two years with rehabiliation and 100 hours unpaid work.

Recorder Andrew Smith told her: “I’m not going to lock you up, I’m going to allow you to go back to your family. That’s not to say I don’t take the view this is not a serious offence. Whatever was going on, you lashed out in a very very dangerous way.

“He was lucky not to be paralysed, you were lucky not to kill him. Obviously this must not happen again.”