A YOUNG mother was stabbed 31 times by her ex-partner after he flew into a rage days after finding a used condom packet in her bathroom.

Christopher Blakemore attacked Amy Johnson inside her own home in front of their young son, Teesside Crown Court heard.

The six foot six defendant is on trial accused of attempting to murder his former partner when he plunged a kitchen knife into Miss Johnson 31 times, suffering multiple stab wounds to her neck, shoulders, chest, stomach and thighs before managing to lock herself in the bathroom and call 999.

Jurors heard the closing arguments from both prosecution and defence counsel before retiring to consider its verdict.

Jolyon Perks, prosecuting, said Blakemore's account of what happened on October 13, 2019, at Miss Johnson's home on Marske Lane, Bishopsgarth, Stockton, did not stack up with the weight of the evidence examined by forensic specialist Nicola Taylor and pathologist Dr Jennifer Bolton.

"In her expert opinion, these (the knife wounds) were stabs. In other words, this defendant taking hold of that knife and deliberately and intentionally stabbing the end of it into Amy Johnson," he said.

"Jennifer Bolton's opinion was this was 'one very lucky lady'. That knife passed through the bones of her arm and wrist and t didn't sever any artery or major vein.

"A very lucky lady. She was wasn't so lucky with one of those stab wounds which went through her lung cavity, whether it was a 10mm wide wound to her chest or one of the 15mm wounds further along that went down into her body from the top of her shoulder.

"It's clear whichever knife wound caused it – it was life threatening."

Miss Johnson told jurors that the 33-year-old turned up at her back door asking for money and when she turned him away he lost his temper, forced his way into her home before knocking her to the ground and stabbing her.

Blakemore, of Ammerston Road, Middlesbrough, denies attempting to murder her or cause her grievous bodily harm, maintaining that he acted in self-defence.

Francis Fitzgibbon QC, defending, told jurors that people are entitled to use force to defend themselves from a violent attack and that is what Blakemore did when Miss Johnson attacked him.

"You may cause terrible injuries when you defend yourself, you may kill somebody when you defend yourself, it all depends completely what is happening at the time," he said.

"You should treat her evidence with the greatest caution."

The trial continues.

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