Domestic violence worked stabbed boyfriend

A woman who had previously worked for a domestic violence charity has been sentenced to prison for stabbing her ex-boyfriend.

Jayne Rudd, 32, attacked Sam Leopold with a knife, stabbing him three times after he obtained a restraining order against her due to the abuse she had inflicted during their relationship.

Rudd, who was formerly a communications officer at Olive Pathway, a domestic violence charity in Manchester, had already received a suspended sentence for a prior assault on Mr. Leopold.

Manchester Crown Court heard that Mr. Leopold was asleep in a friend's living room when Rudd, violating the restraining order, let herself in at 6 a.m. Despite his efforts to shut the door, she forced it off its hinges and used a kitchen knife to puncture it. The incident occurred in January, during which Mr. Leopold sustained three injuries, including a cut to his wrist, before escaping and contacting the police.

Police found Rudd intoxicated and passed out on the living room floor.

Earlier, in June 2023, Rudd had been sentenced to 34 weeks in jail, suspended for 18 months, after she became verbally abusive and punched Mr. Leopold in a pub. In a separate incident in September 2022, she was ordered to perform community service after injuring a trainee police officer's hand and striking a policewoman when four officers attempted to remove her from a property.

In a statement, Mr. Leopold, a tree surgeon from Altrincham, Cheshire, said he had become accustomed to Rudd's assaults. "She is dangerous to be around, and this latest incident is clear evidence of that," he said.

When sentencing Rudd, the judge acknowledged her intelligence but referenced her "troubled history." She has been given a lifelong order prohibiting any further contact with Mr. Leopold.