Woman stabbed husband in shoulder with a knife

Carol Rushby, 36, told police on her arrest that she harboured evil thoughts and wanted to be locked up and the key thrown away.

Rushby, who suffered from a history of depression and self-harm, confronted her husband, Martin, after the pair had been drinking and rowed over money.

She then stabbed him two or three times in the shoulder with a vegetable knife.

Deborah Sherwin, prosecuting, told Teesside Crown Court that the attack at the couple's home in Inglenook Close, Crook, County Durham, had caused blood to spurt all over the place.

Rushby, who was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, was heard to cry repeatedly when police arrived: "I've stabbed him, I've stabbed him".

She then tried to attack officers and said she would kill her husband and slash the throats of their four children.

Mrs Sherwin said that, in addition to her psychiatric difficulties, the defendant had begun drinking heavily and was also failing to take medication she had been described.

On one occasion, shortly before the attack on her husband, she inexplicably got up in the middle of the night and shaved all her hair off, Mrs Sherwin said.

Rushby had pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and this charge was allowed to lie on file. She admitted a section 18 wounding offence.

The court heard that Rushby had been diagnosed with a borderline personality disorder.

She had received psychiatric treatment while in custody, but had failed to respond successfully to this and there were doubts over its continued usefulness.

After hearing from psychiatric experts, Judge Peter Fox gave Rushby a three-year probation order.

He said she would continue to be closely monitored and also called for regular reports to be made available to him on her condition.

Mr Rushby, who made a full recovery from his injuries, was present to hear the verdict.

In a statement read out to the court, he said he held no malice to his wife and that he and their children wanted her back home.