A MOTHER who wounded her ex-husband’s partner with a steak knife in a fight has been jailed.
Julie Berry had denied wounding Victoria Mahoney with intent to cause her grievous bodily harm.
But on the day of her trial at Warwick Crown Court she pleaded guilty to an alternative offence of unlawful wounding.
Following an adjournment for a report to be prepared on her, Berry (41) of Pinley Fields, Stoke Aldermoor, Coventry, was jailed for 12 months.
Prosecutor David Jackson said 32-year-old Ms Mahoney was the partner of Berry’s ex-husband, although they were temporarily separated at the time of the incident in June last year.
She was staying at the home of a mutual friend when Berry visited, and the three began drinking. Ms Mahoney, who had started drinking earlier in the day, became very drunk.
As they sat on the sofa with their friend between them, a row broke out between them after Ms Mahoney made some disparaging remarks about Berry’s children.
At one stage, Berry leaned over and hit Ms Mahoney on the forehead with a can of lager, which led to an exchange of blows.
Berry ended up on her knees on the floor, with Ms Mahoney getting the better of her and tugging her by her hair, pulling out clumps as she did so.
Berry got hold a steak knife from a plate in the room as they struggled with each other.
When they were pulled apart, Ms Mahoney was bleeding and the knife, which had broken, was wrestled from Berry’s hand.
Ms Mahoney was taken to hospital by ambulance and had to have two stitches in a 1cm wound to her abdomen, five in a 2cm wound to her left forearm, and she had a small puncture wound to her neck.
When arrested Berry, accepted they had squared up, but said the fight began when she was hit with a dog lead and she had been trying to defend herself when Ms Mahoney started pulling out clumps of her hair.
She said she did not know where the knife came from and could not remember stabbing her, but accepted she must have used it ‘because I was the only one fighting with her.’
Peter McCartney, defending, said: “There was significant provocation. There were pretty hurtful jibes directed at her in relation to her children.
“She feels devastated that she caused the victim’s injuries, but it’s quite plain the victim herself was quite content to get involved in that fight and was getting the better of her.”
Jailing Berry, Recorder Adrian Redgrave QC told her: “It is quite clear some hurtful words were exchanged between you and the woman you were to stab.
“It is clear both of you had been drinking and that the pair of you started fighting.
“If it had ended there, you would not be where you are now. You are there because you equipped yourself with a knife and stabbed more than once the women with whom you were fighting.
“You could have killed her. That is why the use of a knife in the course of an incident like this is so serious that it can only be dealt with by a prison sentence.”
