ONE of the women jailed for the brutal attack on a party-goer had suffered post traumatic stress disorder as a result of the abuse she suffered at the hands of a double-murderer.
When Amanda Donoghue was jailed for 16 months earlier this week it emerged that her relationship with James Allen had left a lasting scar on her emotions.
Teesside Crown Court heard how Donoghue plunged a pair of scissors into a man's legs after he had been battered around the head with a hammer following a simmering feud with the victim.
Barrister Robert Mochrie said his client had suffered post traumatic stress as a result of her relationship with notorious double-murderer James Allen.
In 2012, her partner James Allen was convicted of the brutal murder of two vulnerable people during a three-day reign of terror in the region.
Newcastle Crown Court heard how Allen broke almost every bone in Colin Dunford’s face when he unleashed a sustained violent assault on the 81-year-old in his Middlesbrough home.
He then went on the run after he cycled to the North Yorkshire seaside towns of Whitby and Scarborough.
Three days later the 36-year-old hacked and slashed Julie Davison’s throat when he stabbed her 31 times to the head and neck.
Friends and family were confronted with horrific scenes when they discovered the bodies in April that year.
Sentencing Allen, Mr Justice Openshaw described how the defendant was trusted by the pensioner and used his friendship to gain access to his home on Leven Street, Middlesbrough.
He said: “It is obvious that he must have gone round with the intention of robbing him, once inside the house the defendant attacked him. There was no evidence that any weapon was used, he must have firstly knocked him to the ground with a punch and then he repeatedly kicked and stamped on him.”
The court heard that Allen had numerous previous convictions, including an eight-year sentence for grievous bodily harm with intent and five years concurrent for burglary.
He had also been sentenced to 11 months in a young offenders’ institution for affray, 12 months for two offences of assault, and 18 months for possession of an offensive weapon.
Following his conviction, Allen was warned he would not be eligible for parole until he had served 37 years.
After regular outbursts during the trial, Allen left the court without saying a word after the sentence was given.
A statement from Dawn and George Kibble - Julie’s sister and brother-in-law - on behalf of Julie’s family, was read out following the trial.
They said: “Julie meant the world to us and we are still struggling to come to terms with what happened to her on that awful day."
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