Teacher denies attempting to murder his ex-girlfriend

The attack happened in a lane near Dransfield Way in Bath

A teacher has denied attempting to murder his on-off partner with a knife after failing to accept that their relationship was over.

Matthew Jones, 28, admits causing grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent to Emma Kirk after they met in a lane in Bath, Somerset.

Jurors at Bristol Crown Court heard that Miss Kirk suffered injuries to her neck, head and face, after being stabbed about 15 times with a blade on 26 February. Mr Jones claimed that Miss Kirk brought the knife to the scene.

Judge Julian Lambert sent jurors out to consider their verdicts in the trial earlier.

The court heard the attack was so “frenzied” it took five men to drag Mr Jones away from the 24-year-old victim.

During cross-examination, Mr Jones accepted stabbing Miss Kirk once, but claimed that her other injuries were "cuts".

He told the jury: "If I had wanted to kill Emma at any point, Emma would not be here now."

"I could have caused maximum damage by stabbing her in as many places as I could in the three minutes we had together," he added.

'You kept going'

Sam Jones, prosecuting, asked: "Why did you stab her so many times?”

The defendant replied: “I didn’t stab her so many times.”

Mr Jones asked: “Why didn’t you stop at any point?”

The defendant said: “I did”.

Mr Jones replied: “You didn’t, you kept going. You had to be stopped.”

The defendant told the court: “When those men arrived and they were on my back, I was no longer doing anything to Emma.”

“Even when the knife had been prised out of your hands, even when you had all these people on your back, trying to hold you down, you were reaching out in one last attempt to strangle her as she bled on the ground," Mr Jones added.

The defendant denied grabbing Miss Kirk's neck and instead claimed he had been trying to push her clothing to her neck.

Multiple wounds

Miss Kirk met Mr Jones at university, before the pair became "romantically involved", the court heard.

The attack took place after Miss Kirk told Mr Jones she did not wish to see him again, but agreed to meet him in a lane near her home to return Christmas gifts he had given to her.

Mr Jones then allegedly produced a knife and demanded to see Miss Kirk's phone, prompting her to run away.

He is said to have then pulled her to the ground before stabbing her.

Miss Kirk sustained two punctured lungs and multiple wounds to her hands as she grabbed at the blade.

An off-duty police officer, members of the public and paramedics assisted her and administered first aid.

The prosecution previously said Miss Kirk would have died without their help.

The defendant later told police it was Miss Kirk who brought the knife to the scene, and he took it from her during a struggle in which they both ended up on the floor.

Mr Jones, of Ivy Avenue, Southdown, Bath, denies charges of attempted murder and having an article with a blade or point in a public place, but admits causing GBH with intent.