Southend woman's face partly paralysed after stabbing

James Reilly, 30, left his victim covered in blood during the cocaine and alcohol-fuel rage after wrongly believing she had giving him HIV.

He was jailed for 19 years at Basildon Crown Court yesterday, where he sat crying in the dock.

He burst through a window and attacked the woman at her in in Kensington Road, Southend on July 3 last year.

Sentencing Judge Samantha Leigh, said: “This was a particularly savage attack and it was a completely paranoid display by the defendant.

“The victim suffered life changing injuries and her face had started to drop. There was an injury to her nerve and the whole left side of her face is paralysed.

“No expert or specialist surgery is going to change that and she has difficulties smiling and eating.”

Prosecuting, Caroline Gardiner, said: "She was woken by an unbelievable thundering and smashing sound. She got out of bed and jumped up.

“The defendant came bursting through the blinds and there was glass everywhere. The defendant started punching her and saying 'you mugged me off, I'm going to kill you'.

“She was bleeding so much she was struggling to see and the knife was lodged in the top of her arm near her shoulder.”

She told the court he kept asking police if she was dead and racially abused a police officer during his arrest.

Mitigating, Charles Conway, said: “He describes this as a horrific and barbaric case and is struggling to reconcile with the fact he caused her irreparable harm.

“He was born with a deformity, cleft hands and feet and has had 17 operations. He’s been bullied and tormented. He went to get his medical but couldn’t get it due to a shortage and took cocaine and drank alcohol instead.

“He became deluded and thought she’d given him HIV.”

Reilly of Guildford Road, Southend admitted attempted murder, possession of a pointed/bladed article, criminal damage and racially/religiously aggravated harassment alarm or distress.