Shropshire woman who stabbed her sister is spared jail

Rebecca Burton "swiped" the blade at her sister Katie as they fought, stabbing her in the back and her thigh, Shrewsbury Crown Court heard.

She had previously sent her sister a number of abusive text messages, calling her offensive names and threatening to stab her.

The court was told Burton had borrowed £30 from her sister days before and was suffering with a drug addiction at the time of the attack.

The 23-year-old, of Hammonds Place in Gobowen, near Oswestry, had previously admitted a charge of wounding with intent.

But she was spared jail by Judge Jim Tindal, who instead handed her a suspended prison sentence and described the case as a "strange and troubling story."

Mr Phillip Beardwell, prosecuting, said that on March 30 this year Katie went out with a friend who lived next door to the defendant and the pair began to argue on the front lawn.

Mr Beardwell said: "She (Rebecca) produced a knife from her right sleeve and swiped at her sister's neck. She moved out of the way but the knife cut her left cheek and chin."

The pair continued to fight, during which time they fell to the floor and the defendant stabbed her sister in the centre of her back.

The friend managed to pull the pair apart, when Katie noticed she also had a hole in her jeans and had a open wound to her thigh, which later required six stitches.

Mr Beardwell said the defendant was shouting "Ha ha, I stabbed my sister" following the fight.

Mr Danny Smith, for Burton, said that she was "a very different person" now.

He added that she was "at a very low ebb in her life" as she had recently lost custody of her children and had become reliant on drugs.

But she had now got free from drugs and social services were so pleased with her progress that she was being allowed contact with her children, with supervision from her mother.

A victim impact statement from Katie said she now wanted to reconcile with Burton.

Burton was given a suspended sentence of two years, held for two years, and ordered to attend the Willowdene Centre residential programme.

She also had to complete a rehabilitation activity requirement.

Judge Tindal, sentencing, said: "Rather than demonstrating that you could protect your children, at a fork in the road of your life you chose the wrong path.

"What you did was lose yourself in drugs and lose yourself in paranoia.

"When your sister came you threatened her with a knife and took it out on her. But your sister, because she loves you, despite this, she has reconciled and forgiven you which is very rare."

Burton was also ordered to pay costs of £250 and a victim surcharge.