Violent cheat jailed for attempted murder of partner

Ryan Leggett, 35, of Lowestoft Road, Carlton Colville, was jailed for 27 years

A man who tried to kill his girlfriend after she found him naked in bed with another man and a plate of cocaine has been jailed for almost 30 years.

Ryan Leggett, of Lowestoft Road, Carlton Colville, Suffolk was convicted of attempted murder by a jury at Ipswich Crown Court in September following a seven-day trial.

The 35-year-old stabbed his partner multiple times and left her for dead after she returned home from work early on 23 November 2024 and caught him with a man.

Leggett was handed a jail term of 27 years on Tuesday, and will serve a further three years on licence.

He was also made subject to an indefinite restraining order, prohibiting him from contacting the victim or her family.

Delivering the sentence, His Honour Judge Martyn Levett described Leggett as an "unpredictable and dangerous man" who had created a "theatre of violence".

"You made eight murderous stab wounds to the victim's body," he added.

"It was deliberate, calculated, and cowardly and I suspect you were actually hoping she would die just to save your own embarrassment."

Leggett was convicted by a jury after a six day trial at Ipswich Crown Court in September

During the trial, the court heard the victim had been working at Pontins, in Pakefield, when she returned home two hours earlier than usual at 01:00 GMT.

It was then that she uncovered Leggett's "guilty secret" when she found him in bed with another man in an "embarrassing and comprising situation".

The couple then argued in the kitchen before Leggett pushed her to the floor in the hallway and held a knife to her neck before she went upstairs, the court heard.

After grabbing her phone and entering a bedroom, she messaged a friend to tell her what had happened.

'You tried to silence her'

The court heard Leggett then appeared a short while later brandishing two knives, which he then used to stab the victim as she lay on the bed.

She sustained eight stab wounds, including two to the chest which caused a fractured rib and punctured lung, and one to the abdomen, which caused internal bleeding and damage to her liver.

Judge Levett said the victim "would not have survived if not for medical attention and intervention" from those who raised the alarm and the emergency services.

"She did not provoke you, not raise a finger to you, despite having that sense of betrayal, but you behaved in a completely unpredictable and violent manner," he said.

"You were unable to hide your wrongdoing and so you tried to silence her from telling anyone what you had been up to."

Det Con Georgia Read and Det Con Sophie Moore told the BBC they were "thrilled" with the sentence handed to Leggett

Following Leggett's sentencing, Det Con Sophie Moore, the officer who led the case, told the BBC the sentence was a "phenomenal result".

"We are really thrilled and hopefully this sentence shows Suffolk Police and the courts take these offences really seriously," she added.

"The victim throughout this case has been amazing and really admirable – she has been a complete inspiration for us and we are very proud of her."

Det Con Georgia Read added: "I feel so privileged to have worked with her - she has just been so dignified."