Boyfriend who snapped blade in partner's arm during frenzied Leeds-home knife attack is jailed

Drunken Ingus Galaskis attacked the woman as she lay sleeping on her sofa at her home in Seacroft following an argument in which she asked him to leave.

He stabbed her 10 times, mainly to her arm, which has left with a permanent injury.

Galaskis, 37, was charged with attempted murder and stood trial, but was cleared by a jury at Leeds Crown Court. He had already admitted GBH with intent and was jailed for 10 years this morning.

Galaskis, with the help of a Latvian interpreter, appeared in court via video link from HMP Leeds, where he was being held on remand.

Judge Tom Bayliss KC told him: “You have never denied your culpability for the assault on your partner.

“For no reason, other than anger on your part, you armed yourself with a knife. You attacked her with the knife and stabbed her multiple times.

“It was a sustained attack with a highly-dangerous weapon. It resulted in an injury that is permanent and irreversible.”

The court heard that the woman, a mother-of-two, had been on holiday to Latvia, and had returned on September 3 last year.

She was unable to get in to their home on Baileys Crescent, but when she did, she found Galaskis in a drunken state.

They argued and she told him to go upstairs to rest. They argued further and Galaskis left, before returning 40 minutes later. He went upstairs as the woman fell asleep downstairs.

She heard him enter the kitchen, but thought nothing of it, before she realised he was stood over her and was frantically stabbing her as she struggled.

He plunged the knife into her over and over and only stopped after he realised the blade had broken and stuck in her arm.

He went back into the kitchen and the blood soaked woman was able to flee the house, getting help from neighbours and call 999.

When a man entered the house, he saw Galaskis sat in a chair smoking and told the man: “I’m going to jail.”

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The woman has been left with an arm that “does not function properly” and she has lost her job and is struggling with her mental health after the attack.

The court heard she is “haunted” by the attack.

Mitigating for Galaskis, Jeremy Barton said that his client had “insight” into his offending, and had been working on his issues while on remand.

He said he was “seeking to address why he lost his temper like he did”, and pointed out that there was no history of domestic violence. Galaskis has no previous convictions.

As well as the jail sentence, he was given an indefinite-length restraining order to keep him away from the victim.