Pain is the daily reminder of what brave Tina endured
OFFERED CHANCE TO TALK TO ATTACKER IN JAIL
STAB attack survivor Martina Turner has been offered a chance to talk to the former partner who tried to kill her.
Steven Wood was jailed for life last month for knifing Martina 29 times before locking her in the home they shared and leaving her for dead.
Martina, who is known as Tina, told how she survived by hiding in a cupboard with a kitchen knife still embedded in her chest.
And now as she continues her long road to recovery Tina has revealed how she had been offered the chance to speak to her jailed attacker.
But the 53-year-old has said she is unlikely to accept the invitation.
Tina said: “I still question why? I have been given the opportunity to speak to him if I want, to get some closure.
“In one way I’m curious, but he would probably just lie to my face.
“I know how manipulative these people can be, he would just say anything I wanted to hear.
“I’m still considering it, but I probably won’t.
“I still feel very raw and I still have pain every day and that’s a daily reminder.”
Tina, who was born in Germany and moved to the UK around 30 years ago, met Wood online around two years before the May 2021 attack.
The couple’s relationship deepened quickly and due to Covid restrictions mum-of-three Tina invited Wood, who was living in County Durham at the time, to move into her house in Winlaton Mill.
College lecturer Tina described their early courtship as “too good to be true” saying Wood would shower her with expensive gifts, and even bought a house in the village for her son to rent.
But Wood soon displayed an aggressive, controlling side to his personality.
And on May 21, 2021, Wood, 54, turned on Tina, stabbing her repeatedly with kitchen knives as she begged for her life.
When Tina managed to hide in a cupboard, with a large blade still embedded in her chest, Wood left the home and locked the doors behind him, leaving her for dead.
Tina was able to dial 999 and spoke to an operator until help arrived.
Paramedics from the North East Ambulance Service and a helicopter from the Great North Air Ambulance Service were sent to the scene.
After breaking a window to get to Tina, emergency services decided she would be taken to the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) by road.
When Tina arrived at hospital, medics discovered she had been stabbed 29 times and had wounds
over her entire body, including her heart, spine and legs.
Meanwhile, Wood was also being taken to the RVI after being found under the Redheugh Bridge by police. He is thought to have attempted to take his own life.
Miraculously Tina managed to survive
the attack. After six weeks in hospital and multiple operations she was able to return home.
In July Wood was jailed for life after pleading guilty to attempted murder at Newcastle Crown Court.
He must serve a minimum of 12 years behind bars before being
released after a judge said he poses a high level of danger to the public.
Tina, who had feared her ex might be freed sooner, said the sentence had brought her comfort.
“It was a relief. It was much better than I expected, but it’s not so much about me, hopefully he can’t get out and hurt anybody else,” she said.
“It definitely sends out a strong message. He got longer than some murderers. It definitely shows you can’t get away with domestic violence.”
As Tina continues to rebuild her life she is determined to make sure something positive comes from her ordeal.
She has been raising money for the Great North Air Ambulance and Newcastle Woman’s Aid, a charity that supports domestic violence victims.
“I have done a massive cake sale in my village hall, because I can’t run a marathon or anything,” she said.
“I have raised more than £500 just from selling cakes. The whole community came together and people were really generous. I’m still very humbled by it, it was amazing.”
Tina also wants to use her experiences to help bring about positive change for future victims. She plans to campaign to get cases heard in court quicker, and believes there should be a change in the law to prevent all perpetrators who plead guilty receiving a lesser sentence.
She added: “I still want to speak to my local MP about getting the law changed so that victims don’t have to wait that long.
“And why should these people that plead guilty get lesser sentences?”