A man from Dudley who stabbed his partner in the eye with a samurai sword has been jailed for more than two years.

Wayne Steventon flew into a drunken rage, threw Jacqueline Pearce onto their bed and reached for the ‘fearsome’ weapon, a judge was told.

After stabbing her, he then punched the petrified victim in the mouth. Steventon, 46, was starting time behind bars today over the Tipton attack.

Wolverhampton Crown Court heard how the couple had been out drinking on May 31 but began rowing when they arrived home. Ms Pearce punched her partner of 13 years in the stomach before fleeing upstairs, said Ms Charlotte Johnson, prosecuting. But he followed her to the bedroom where he pushed her down and grabbed hold of the sword. Ms Johnson told the court:

“They returned home and a verbal argument began. He abused the complainant, calling her names. As a result of previous incidents Ms Pearce was very frightened and in a pre-emptive strike she punched Mr Steventon in the stomach and scratched him before running upstairs.

“He ran after Ms Pearce, locked her in the bedroom, threw her down on the bed, picked up a samurai sword, pulled the casing off and stabbed her left eye with the point of the sword. It caused the eye to bleed significantly. The defendant then punched Ms Pearce in the mouth.”

Ms Pearce’s victim statement was read to the court in which she said she was scared of her partner, who she said she had been in an abusive relationship with. The injury she suffered to her eye has since recovered, the court was told.

Judge Simon Ward said Steventon deserved to go to prison for the ‘serious’ attack. Steventon, of no fixed address, who pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm, was jailed for two years and four months.