A vulnerable woman was spared a lengthy jail sentence for stabbing a man she was in a relationship with, after a court heard he had struck her with an iron moments before.
Angela Heggie (39), of Cupar, stabbed Richard Walker on the arm during an argument in her home in Orchardgate on July 1.
When police arrived alerted by a neighbour woken by the disturbance they found Mr Walker, of Dundee, covered in blood and Heggie crying.
At Cupar Sheriff Court, Sheriff Charles Macnair told Heggie that people would normally be locked up for some time for committing a knife assault but it would be wrong to send her to jail.
She had been taken advantage of by Mr Walker, he said as he deferred sentence for six months for good behaviour.
Procurator fiscal Ellie Oakley told the court that Heggie had used a knife with a seven-inch blade, which she took from the kitchen drawer, and that her action could not be considered self defence.
Defence solicitor Douglas Williams described Mr Walker’s injury, which required five stitches, as superficial.
Mr Walker had been drinking in Dundee before going to Heggie’s home, where he continued to drink cider with her. The pair began rowing and Mr Walker started smashing DVDs against a wall before pushing Heggie and dragging her from her bedroom into the lobby, Mr Williams said.Iron assaultHeggie’s back was injured when he pushed her again and she fell, he said. Mr Walker then picked up an iron in the lobby, it was alleged, and struck Heggie on the hip. Heggie shouted that she was going to the bathroom, the court heard, but instead went to the kitchen for the knife in a frightened state.
When Mr Walker saw the knife, Mr Williams said he tried to calm Heggie down and when he moved towards her the blade struck his arm.
After Heggie tried to stem the blood with a dishtowel, Mr Walker slapped her and grabbed her by the throat, it was claimed. Even when police arrived, he was still threatening her, the court was told.
Mr Williams described the circumstances as very sad and said, “I’m in no doubt that Mr Walker has taken advantage of her. The plea of guilty is tendered on the basis that Miss Heggie had the opportunity of leaving the house to make good her escape, but that’s not what happened.”
Sheriff Macnair said it appeared Mr Walker was the latest in a line of men to take advantage of a Miss Heggie, whom he regarded as “very vulnerable.”
She had become a target, he said, for those who would take advantage, including Mr Walker. Sheriff Macnair told Heggie, “You made a major error of judgment in collecting that knife.
“You should have left and sought assistance from neighbours or police.”
He said it would normally mean prison, “but the circumstances in your case are very, very unusual.”