Violent Ex-Lover Sentenced After Brutal Stabbing in Front of Daughters

A man named Richard Neil Stephenson, aged 32, from Wear Lodge, Chester-le-Street, was involved in a violent attack on his ex-partner, Tracy Todd. The incident, which occurred last April at Tracy Todd's home, was witnessed by their two daughters aged 12 and 8. Stephenson had previously visited the home to see his daughters and subsequently launched a brutal assault, punching and beating Tracy with a metal bar. During a heated row, he then stabbed Tracy in the stomach with a kitchen knife. The two daughters watched in terror as their mother was attacked; the 12-year-old called for an ambulance, and the 8-year-old tried to stop the bleeding by placing a tea towel on her mother's wound. Stephenson pleaded guilty at Newcastle Crown Court in October to wounding with intent and was sentenced to three and a half years in prison. Lord Justice Laws, sitting with Dame Heather Steel and Judge Martin Stephens QC, explained that Stephenson's attack was motivated by personal issues and occurred after he visited his daughters. The judge dismissed Stephenson's attempt to challenge his sentence, stating that he 'richly deserved' his punishment as he has 32 previous convictions.