Man jailed for wife knife attack

A court has heard the screams of a woman who was repeatedly stabbed by her estranged husband.

A neighbour's video camera picked up the sound as 34-year old Neil Ward from Bedworth, Warwickshire, attacked his wife with a kitchen knife in front of the couple's children.

Ward was cleared of the attempted murder of Helen Ward and her friend Julie Haywood who was also stabbed in the incident.

But he received a seven-year jail sentence after pleading guilty to lesser charges.

'Sorry kids'

Warwick crown court heard how Mrs Ward left her husband at the end of 2001 after being subjected to violence.

She took the couple's children and went to live with Ms Haywood in Bedworth.

After a series of threats, Neil Ward broke into the house on 2 May and first attacked Ms Haywood.

He stabbed her in the chest and severed a tendon in her wrist before attacking his wife.

Ms Haywood escaped to a next door neighbour who called the police and began recording the noise of Wards attack.

Meanwhile, Ward put a knife to his wife's neck and said to his children: "Sorry kids, your mother's got to die."

Suicide attempt

Mrs Ward then suffered three stab wounds before police overpowered her husband.

Richard Atkins, defending, told the court Ward was suffering depression and had attempted suicide weeks earlier.

Judge Richard Cole jailed Ward for seven years after he admitted wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, attempted wounding with intent and making threats to kill.