A UK man has been sentenced to 20 years jail for attempting to murder his young wife.
Yet Shannon Barnard, 21, has vowed to stand by her husband.
In January the Kent woman was stabbed 46 times by her husband Michael in a rage after she confronted him about cheating on her.
According to Judge Philip Statman, who sentenced the 25-year-old at Maidstone Crown Court, Shannon was “extraordinarily lucky” to be alive, the Daily Mail reports.
Her husband’s attack caused her serious injuries to organs including her bowels and liver and huge blood loss.
However, when asked in court what her plans were for the future, she replied: “Just to be together and have the life that we both want with each other and have a family.”
The woman said she forgave her husband and planned to visit him twice a week during his prison time.
That's despite her evidenced testimony relaying the details of the horrific attack, KentOnline reports.
"I was on my back on the floor and Mike was literally on top of me and was just stabbing me," she told police. "He was on his knees and leant over me."
The night before she almost died, Shannon had confronted her husband after he had sex with another woman. That woman accused him of rape, but he was later cleared of this.
The next morning, she awoke from the couch she had slept on to the sounds of her husband on the phone in a bedroom. He walked out with a knife in hand and moved towards her, the court heard.
According to the case's prosecutor, Barnard "pushed her into the kitchen. He said: 'You have got to die'."
As Barnard left the courtroom following his sentencing, he blew his wife a kiss.
If you or anyone you love is experiencing domestic violence, you can get help. Please call 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732. If your life is in danger, please call 000.
Top Comments
Sounds like Stockholm syndrome
This woman is clearly in an extremely abusive relationship. It's easy to pass judgement on her for staying but (having previously been in an abusive relationship) it messes with your head completely and the support you need to step outside the situation can be hard to find. Hopefully with him in jail she can see the situation for what it is and make a clean break.