Judge spares mother from jail after she stabbed her ex-boyfriend

A mother has been spared jail after stabbing her ex boyfriend following a night of heavy drinking.
Leeds Crown Court where a mother was spared jail today.Leeds Crown Court where a mother was spared jail today.
Leeds Crown Court where a mother was spared jail today.

Jade Siddons, 28, of Rye Way, Castleford, sobbed as a judge at Leeds Crown Court said it was medical reports, her background and circumstances which made him able to pass a more lenient sentence.

Leeds Crown Court heard that Siddons and Adam Smithson had been in a relationship for around five years, had two children together and had three other children between them.

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On July 16, 2017 Siddons had been at a neighbour's house with her two children and they had been drinking Strongbow cider. The complainant, Adam Smithson, collected the children and Siddons left and returned to the house with more cider and lager and went home at midnight where she and Mr Smithson referred to a previous incident where he had assaulted her.

Robert Stevenson, prosecuting, told the hearing: "She made threats she was going to stab him but he did not believe it. In the morning the complainant went into the kitchen, the defendant followed him, took a knife and stabbed him twice."

Mr Smithson suffered a four centimetre gash to his arm and a five centimetre cut to his hip and told police he had been assaulted in town and doctors that he did not know what had happened.

Proceedings were temporarily halted as Siddons became distressed in the dock, saying she couldn't breathe and the Judge warned the public gallery against anymore outbursts.

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Defending, Mark Foley said the complainant had been arrested on previous occasions in relation to harassment of Siddons and prior to the incident had assaulted her causing "significant facial injuries".

Handing Siddons a sentence of 21 months, suspended for two years, Judge Robin Mairs said: "It (the offence) is 20 months old and comes against the backdrop of what was obviously a violent and explosive relationship. Both were heavily in drink. There had been a recent episode where he had assaulted you and you can't remember from drink. You stabbed him twice, it could have been worse, you could easily have killed him.

"The reason I am able to take exceptional circumstances is because of the reports, your background and circumstances. If you do breach the order there is really only one option left."