A wife whose husband slit her throat with a kitchen knife during a drunken row about his son has forgiven him and wants him to return home.
Johnathan Thompson, 29, from Rochdale, ran a kitchen knife across the neck of his spouse Hayley and also choked her until she passed out after they rowed about contact arrangements for his young son, who is from a previous relationship.
Afterwards, as blood poured from his wife’s throat, barman Thompson – who had been drinking for 12 hours beforehand – shouted ‘what have I done? I am a monster’ and then sank to his knees in tears.
Following the attack, in February of this year, he then turned the knife on himself as police were called to the scene. He has now been jailed for 22 months for the attack.
But his wife, who he married in 2018, continues to support him and said she relies on him financially and emotionally and wants him to return home because his absence has caused her stress.
Hayley Thompson, whose husband Johnathan, 29, from Rochdale, slit her throat with a kitchen knife during a drunken row about his son has forgiven him and wants him to return home
Her husband’s lawyer said she suffers from depression and anxiety, and has been impacted by his inability to support her.
She visited him in prison regularly before restrictions were imposed because of coronavirus.
After the attack, in February – less than two years after their wedding – Mrs Thompson, a sales worker, was treated in his hospital and her wound was sealed up with steristrips and glue.
Doctors said she will have a faint scar for life. Her husband was also treated for self-inflicted wounds to his head.
At Minshull Street Crown Court, Manchester, Thompson, who admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm, pleaded for a suspended prison sentence after his wife vowed to stand by him.
He also argued he had mental health issues.
Thompson ran a kitchen knife across the neck of his spouse Hayley and also choked her until she passed out after they rowed about contact arrangements for his young son, who is from a previous relationship. Pictured: The couple on their wedding day, in 2018
But sentencing Thompson to 22 months imprisonment, Judge Mark Savill said: ‘Anyone who behaves in this way towards their wife in their own home can expect to go to prison.
‘This is the shortest sentence I can pass on you – were it not for your mitigation the sentence would have been considerably longer.’
He added: ‘I agree with the probation service who say you present a high risk to others particularly those with whom you have had relationships.
‘We live in a country where people are allowed to drink to excess if they choose to do so but you have an unstable personality disorder and know that drinking to ‘self-medicate’ is a risky thing to do.
‘This was a terrifying incident carried out against your wife in her own home during which you drew a knife across her throat, strangled her and left her unconscious.
‘The fact you have unstable personality disorder only reduces your culpability to a limited extent because you committed this offence in drink.
‘There is a question mark about how realistic your prospects of rehabilitation really are. You are moving in the right direction, but I cannot suspend your sentence.’
Afterwards, as blood poured from his wife’s throat, barman Thompson – who had been drinking for 12 hours beforehand – shouted ‘what have I done? I am a monster’ and then sunk to his knees in tears
Following the attack, in February of this year, he then turned the knife on himself as police were called to the scene. He has now been jailed for 22 months for the attack
The couple had married in 2018 and lived together in Castleton, near Rochdale. The incident occurred on February 23 after both had been drinking.
Prosecutor Simon Barrett said: ‘He had been drinking all afternoon and evening, before returning home on his own late that night. His wife came back to the address at 12.45am and found him inside.
‘He was unsteady as he had been drinking for 12 hours and his speech was slurred. He was angry, shouting at himself and behaving erratically.
‘They went to separate bedrooms and she went to check on him.
‘They started a conversation about contact arrangements for his son and he became upset, distressed and began shouting at her telling her to “shut up.”
Mr Barrett then described how Thompson placed his hand around his wife’s throat and started applying pressure.
But his wife continues to support him and said she relies on him financially and emotionally and wants him to return home because his absence has caused her stress
She suffers from depression and anxiety, and has suffered from the lack of support he has been able to offer her
She briefly lost consciousness and when she came around, she found him in the bathroom with a knife in his hand.
He then became abusive again and when Mrs Thompson tried to take the knife off him because she was worried he would harm himself, Thompson pulled the blade away, causing a small cut to her hand.
Mr Barrett added: ‘He then pulled her neck backwards and ran the blade of the knife across her throat- causing a sharp pain, bleeding and a laceration.
‘The prosecution accept that as soon as he did that he became distressed, shouted “what have I done?” and started to use the knife on himself.
‘Police were called and when they arrived he was bleeding having injured himself with the knife.’
At Minshull Street Crown Court, Manchester, Thompson, who admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm, pleaded for a suspended prison sentence after his wife vowed to stand by him
Prosecutor Simon Barrett described how Thompson first choked his wife before attacking her with the knife
Mrs Thompson was then treated in hospital with steristrips – which are also known a butterfly stitches – and glue.
After being arrested, Thompson told police he had picked up the knife with the intention of scaring his wife but ended up cutting her.
He said he did not intend to cause serious harm.
‘The relationship is alive and there is no application for a restraining order. She did not support the prosecution,’ Mr Barrett added.
In mitigation his lawyer Hunter Gray said: ‘His relationship with his wife has been characterised by them going out drinking, sometimes to excess and often getting into arguments.
‘None have developed to the extent this one did.
Mrs Thompson visited her husband in prison regularly before coronavirus restrictions were imposed
‘After the incident he was stabbing himself in the head trying to cut out demons, hallucinations and voices in his head.
‘The victim said she did not think this was a deliberate act, it stopped very quickly and he sunk to his knees and called himself a “monster”.
‘He was shocked by what happened and began self-harming.
‘His wife has remained supportive of him, relies on him financially and emotionally and wants him back home as his absence has caused stress.
‘She suffers from depression and anxiety, and has suffered from the lack of support he has been able to offer her.
‘She visited him in prison regularly before restrictions were imposed.
‘He has been offered employment at a pub as a bar manager upon release, but he has refused this as he could be pressurised into drinking again.’