Man who stabbed woman cleared of attempted murder

A teacher who stabbed his former girlfriend "about 15 times" has been cleared of attempted murder.

Matthew Jones, 29, attacked Emma Kirk, 25, on 26 February 2024, inflicting life-threatening injuries in Bath, Somerset. It took five men to drag Mr Jones off her, disarm him, and restrain him until police officers arrived, Bristol Crown Court was told.

The attack happened after Jones, of Ivy Avenue in Southdown, Bath, allegedly refused to accept the relationship was over.

On Wednesday, a jury cleared him of charges of attempted murder and possessing a knife. He had previously admitted causing grievous bodily harm with intent and remains in police custody pending a new sentencing hearing on 9 May.

Ms Kirk, a secondary school teacher, told the jury how she and Jones had become friends while completing their training at university in 2022.

She said over the next 18 months they became "very close" and were intimate on a couple of occasions.

Ms Kirk said she tried to establish boundaries in their relationship, but Jones reacted poorly when she told him they would not be anything more than friends.

He demanded that they meet in a lane off Dransfield Way for her to return gifts he had bought her.

A woman who first raised the alarm told the court she saw Mr Jones push Ms Kirk to the ground before stabbing her.

When the witness - who was with her young daughter - began trying to intervene and film what was happening, Jones continued the brutal assault, the court was told.

Jurors at Bristol Crown Court was told by Sam Jones, prosecuting, that Ms Kirk suffered injuries to her neck, head and face, after being stabbed about 15 times with a blade.

She sustained two punctured lungs and multiple wounds to her hands.

Ms Kirk's injuries were described as life-threatening, with the prompt actions of the members of the public who came to her aid and the quick response of the emergency services credited with saving her life, the court was told.

She was rushed into emergency surgery and due to her injuries, was unable to give police an account of the attack until 10 days later.

In his initial interview, Jones gave officers a prepared statement in which he denied deliberately stabbing Ms Kirk.

He claimed he was acting in "self-defence" and could only assume she was injured during their struggle.

Later, Jones entered a guilty plea to an offence of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

He accepted that he did deliberately stab her, not in self-defence, but to cause her serious harm. A jury cleared him of the more serious charge of having an intention to kill her.

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