A WOMAN who repeatedly stabbed her partner in a drunken fight has been jailed for 12 months.

Elaine Pritchard, aged 38, acted in self-defence as a dispute with her partner Martin Moss escalated into violence at their home in Victoria Road, Malvern.

Mr Moss had 15 stab wounds to his chest, back and arms and was kept in hospital overnight.

Pritchard pleaded not guilty to wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and her plea of guilty to unlawful wounding was accepted.

Stephen Thomas, prosecuting, told Worcester Crown Court the couple had been in a difficult relationship marked by domestic violence for about two years at the time of the incident on January 29. Police had been called on a number of occasions but on that day they appeared to be getting on well and had been drinking in pubs.

Mr Moss went home in the evening but Pritchard decided to stay out.

He sent her text messages asking her to come home – one message said he loved her – but when she didn’t return, his final message was for her to stay away.

She eventually arrived and it was unclear how the dispute started, Mr Thomas said.

Mr Moss claimed he was attacked while he was asleep.

She said she got into bed with him and he attacked her.

She was also hurt in the fight and had injuries caused by being punched, kicked, stamped on and grabbed around the throat.

Abigail Nixon, defending, said Pritchard, a mother-of-two, had been free of drugs for two years after a 13-year addiction and her relationship with Mr Moss was now over.

“She accepts she went over the top in defending herself but she thought she was going to be killed,” Miss Nixon said.

The judge, Recorder David Mason, QC, said they had both been drinking and were both defending themselves but taking up a weapon had put Pritchard at fault.

He said if one of the blows had hit Mr Moss in a different part of the body, the result could have been much more serious.

The court was told Pritchard has been in custody for another offence and has also spent two months on remand, which will be deducted from her sentence of 12 months for the wounding offence.