A woman who stabbed her former friend with a bread knife after a drinking binge has been jailed.
Marie Byrne launched a violent attack on the victim in the ‘delusional belief’ she was having a sexual relationship with her partner.
Byrne bashed her friend’s head repeatedly on the floor before she picked up a six-inch kitchen knife and stabbed her in the back twice in rapid succession.
Emergency services were called at about 3am on 11 March 2022 after reports a woman had been stabbed and was bleeding.
Byrne, the victim and Byrne’s partner had been drinking heavily during the previous evening.
The court heard Byrne was ‘heavily intoxicated’ and her mood deteriorated as she began to make claims about the victim having a relationship with her partner behind her back.
When her partner returned from buying more alcohol, Byrne’s mood had worsened further and she attacked the victim.
Byrne then fell close to the sink where she picked up the knife and stabbed the victim.
Police and paramedics arrived at the scene quickly, and Byrne admitted to officers she had stabbed the woman.
Byrne’s partner had recorded much of the attack on his mobile phone.
Byrne, aged 51, of Cedar Road, Forest Fields, was jailed for four years at Nottingham Crown Court on Monday (8 August 2022) after previously admitting grievous bodily harm with intent.
Sentencing Byrne, Judge Stuart Rafferty told her: “You were angry to the point of challenging both of them and attacking her, bashing her head against the floor until she was effectively unconscious.
“But even then that was not enough. You sought a weapon and you used it.”
The judge told Byrne if the blows had landed elsewhere on the victim’s body she could have been facing a life sentence for murder.
He said Byrne’s ‘delusion belief’ she was being cheated on was ‘wholly false’ and on a ‘drunken premise’.
The judge urged Byrne to ‘confront her demons’ while serving her time in prison and said she has ‘plenty of life left to live’ but only if she chooses to do so.
Detective Sergeant Nigel Malik, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “This was a wholly unnecessary assault brought about by heavy drinking and which left the victim with traumatic injuries.
“Unsurprisingly, this incident has had a very severe impact on her physically and emotionally, and I am pleased justice has now been served.
“As is the case with many incidents of this type, the injuries inflicted could very easily have been even worse. I hope this case serves as a warning to others, whenever a knife is used against another there is always the risk of fatal consequences. Being heavily intoxicated increases the risks.
“This is a very sad case which has had a serious impact on the victim, Byrne and others.”
The court heard the victim has recovered well physically from the attack but had been left with emotional scars and was considering moving away.
In mitigation, the court heard Byrne suffered from mental health problems and depression.
Her barrister, Simon Eckersley, said Byrne felt ‘genuine remorse and genuine shame’ about the incident.
