Man jailed for slashing ex-girlfriend 14 times

A LISBURN man who launched a “frenzied” drink and drug-fuelled knife attack on an ex-girlfriend at a New Year’s Eve party was handed a five and a half year sentence yesterday.

Ordering James Smyth to serve half his sentence in jail and half on supervised licence, Judge Patrick Lynch QC told the 28-year-old it was “fair to describe him as a guest from hell”.

The Craigavon Crown Court judge said while he accepted the victim had her own issues to cope with before the incident, “I have no doubt there have been serious consequences as a result of the attack at the hands of the defendant.”

The day before he was due to go on trial Smyth, from Flush Park in the city, entered guilty pleas to wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and possessing a weapon, namely a screwdriver, on January 1, 2020.

The court heard how the victim “has been left with considerable disfigurement” after she was attacked by Smyth, who inflicted around 14 slash wounds to her head, arms and upper body.

On Friday, prosecuting counsel Nicola Auret had outlined how the victim was at a friend’s party when Smyth, described as “out of it,” arrived and such was his attitude and behaviour, everyone bar the victim and the householder left the party.

He had been taking Xanax tablets “by the handful” from a tub he was carrying.

There was a verbal altercation and he ended up outside “banging on the windows”.

Smyth was allowed back in and appeared to make up with the householder, giving him a hug before going to a bedroom where his victim was lying on the bed.

Thecourtheardthathegave the woman a hug but in her statement she said “whatever I said offended him and he dug me”.

She said he called her “a slut” before “he got a knife out and stabbed me,” the victim told police. When officers arrived, Ms Auret said they found the victim sitting on the bed which was “basically saturated in blood” and she was taken to hospital where doctors treated her wounds with 40 staples and stitches.

When Smyth was questioned by police, he claimed that he had been attacked by the woman, claims dismissed by the judge as spurious. The judge said Smyth’s offending was “inextricably linked” to his substance abuse which in turn had a detrimental effect on his mental health.

But according to the various reports, Smyth showed good victim insight and awareness and there were multiple conditions to be attached to his licence which would negate any risk.