Woman stabbed friend on train
A BIRMINGHAM woman who was “fixated” with programmes about serial killers tried to murder her friend on a train in a “frenzied and sustained” knife attack.
Lisa Savage stabbed her friend’s face and neck repeatedly for four minutes on an Arriva Trains Wales service at around 11pm on Sunday, April 15, as it approached Chepstow Station.
A court heard the 42-year-old, from Weoley Park Road, Selly Oak, pulled a knife out of her handbag and stabbed Sarah Hayton, leaving passengers horrified.
A train guard saw the victim “crawling” through the carriage, surrounded by blood and called the police.
When the train stopped, Savage managed to force open the doors with her blood-stained hands before running off.
She was later arrested in a nearby park, “shouting unintelligibly”.
At Newport Crown Court on Tuesday, Savage was sentenced to life with a minimum term of eight years and four months in jail after pleading guilty to attempted murder.
Anna Midgley, prosecuting, said the defendant and Ms Hayton were living at the same hostel in Birmingham, having both been released from prison.
The court heard the pair had known each other for around 20 years, but had only recently rekindled their friendship.
Prosecutors said Savage had a “difficult relationship” with her mother and had received a message saying she did not want to see her any more.
The court heard Savage planned to confront her mother and said she wanted “to have it out with her”. She had taken two knives from a kitchen drawer at the hostel.
Ms Hayton described her friend’s behaviour as “unstable” in the run-up to the incident.
Ms Midgley said: “She became fixat- ed with programmes about murder and serial killers.”
Prosecutors said Ms Hayton agreed to accompany the defendant and they travelled from Selly Oak, changing train at Gloucester. The court heard the pair were both under the influence of alcohol and drugs during the journey.
Ms Midgley said: “The attack began when Ms Hayton said she no longer wanted to go to Aberdare.”
Savage later told police: “I f***ing did it, didn’t I? F***ing brilliant. Psycho killer.”
She also told police she had been planning to kill her mother and referred to doing “something horrific”.
Prosecutors said Ms Hayton suffered wounds to her face and neck, which were treated with 67 superficial sutures and 20 deep sutures. She had five separate facial wounds, including two which penetrated her eye socket.
Ms Hayton told the police she was “terrified” during the attack and thought she was going to die. She has ongoing problems with her eyesight, which is now below the standard required to drive.
The court heard Savage had previously received a life sentence for slashing an ex-boyfriend with a knife. She had 67 previous offences on her record, including 15 of violence.
Savage has “significant” mental health problems and has been diagnosed with Emotional Unstable Personality Disorder and Dissocial Personality Disorder, complicated by substance and alcohol misuse.
Stephen Thomas, defending, said she used alcohol as a “coping strategy”. He told the court the defendant was exposed to “considerable childhood trauma” by witnessing serious domestic violence against her mother.
The defence barrister said: “I have to concede that there is a pattern of violent offending throughout her history.”
He described the attack as “spontaneous” and said Savage had written a letter of apology to the vic
tim.