Marie Owens stabbed Lisa Willis in head on Poplars Avenue

A MUM who repeatedly stabbed a woman in the head in a flat in Orford has been jailed.

Marie Owens knifed her victim Lisa Willis to the back of her head and cheek up to eight times before kicking her in the face.

On Tuesday, July 2, the 41-year-old was handed five years and four months behind bars at Liverpool Crown Court for the ‘frightening’ attack.

The court heard that Ms Willis and her boyfriend Daniel Elwell took a taxi to a ground-floor flat on Poplars Avenue at around 11pm on Thursday, November 8, last year in order to buy drugs.

Poplars Avenue - picture by Google Maps

She entered the property through the back door, with Mr Elwell remaining outside.

As Ms Willis entered the living room, she was struck to the back of the head three to four times and felt a ‘stinging sensation’ – at which point she saw the defendant holding a silver-coloured three-inch knife in her hand.

Owens, of Belmont Avenue in Latchford, said: “I’ve finally got you, you swamp donkey.”

While the pair had never met before, the victim recognised her attacker from her Facebook profile picture – the defendant believing that Ms Willis had assaulted her 18-year-old daughter two months previously.

A man who has not been traced by police then ran at Mr Elwell holding a knife and chased him onto the street.

Ms Willis ran towards the back door but was pushed to the floor.

Owens, who was drunk and under the influence of Subutex, said ‘I’m going to f***ing kill you’ before stabbing her in the head around four more times and kicking her in the face.

Mr Elwell heard Ms Willis screaming ‘they’re stabbing me’, before she managed to run outside to him while ‘covered in blood’.

They then walked to the latter’s mum’s house before getting a taxi back to Mr Elwell’s home.

After being taken to Warrington Hospital, it was found that she had six ‘superficial’ wounds to the scalp and left cheek which were closed with surgical glue.

Owens – who has previous convictions dating back to 1998 including causing actual bodily harm, battery, assaulting a police officer, criminal damage, theft and public order offences – then handed herself in at Warrington Police Station on Wednesday, November 21.

A statement read to the court on behalf of Ms Willis described how the victim feared she was going to be stabbed to death.

The statement said: “I was scared and I thought I was going to die – I didn’t think I’d get away.

“I thought it was over and done with, I thought my life was gone.

“For weeks afterwards, I felt traumatised and I couldn’t sleep.

“Thankfully I’m still here, but I’m fearful when I go out because I’m scared of things happening and I’m constantly looking over my shoulder.

“This has changed my life – I’m too scared to even leave the house.

“I’m constantly thinking about how bad things could have been and what could have happened.”

Liverpool Crown Court

Owens, who appeared in court via video link to HMP Styal, earlier admitted wounding with intent on the first day of a planned trial.

Sentencing, recorder Heather Williams said: “Given the circumstances, these injuries could have been much more serious.

“This was a frightening experience for Ms Willis, who has described the lingering effects of the attack.

“It appears that there is some background to this offence relating to events concerning your daughter.

“Whatever the rights and wrongs of that situation, you have accepted that it did not provide you with an excuse for your attack on Ms Willis.

“You acted in anger and lost control in a way that was wholly inappropriate.

“I accept that you have shown a degree of remorse, but only an immediate custodial sentence can be appropriate.”

Owens, who has gained a job working in the prison’s beauty department, will serve half of her sentence before being released on licence.

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She was also handed a restraining order preventing her from contacting Ms Willis indefinitely and was told to pay a victim surcharge.