A teenage girl has shared pictures of wounds she received after being stabbed in the back by her best friend who thought she was going to steal her boyfriend.
Eve Hewitson-Cross, 19, suffered a punctured lung during the attack, in March 2019 and has now shared the pictures to warn against knife crime.
According to Eve, her former best friend, who was 16 at the time and cannot be named for legal reasons, thought Eve wanted to steal her boyfriend and attacked her in a park where she was waiting to meet friends.
Prosecutors at Preston Crown Court, UK, said she went to the park with a large kitchen knife tucked into her waistband before grabbing Eve by the head and pushing her to the ground. Eve suffered two stab wounds before her attacker’s boyfriend told her to stop. Eve also suffered heavy blood loss and narrowly avoided spinal damage.
According to the judge who sentenced the accused this week, she narrowly avoided jail due to mental health issues and Covid-19’s effects on the legal system,
but was given a two-year rehabilitation order, a ten-year restraining order and three months with an electronic tag.
She was also told to complete a knife crime programme as well as be kept under strict supervision.
Judge Parry told the defendant: ‘Nobody should be under any illusion the sentence is a light sentence at all – it isn’t. It is incredibly intensive.
‘I’ve resisted sending you to detention today for two primary reasons. ‘Your mental health, and how it affects your welfare, is something that’s been plaguing you for many years, but also the delay in bringing this matter to court has had an influence on the type of sentence I’ve passed.
‘You couldn’t have been closer to going to custody today.’
Meanwhile Eve has reportedly dropped out of college and now suffers from PTSD and panic attacks. She has also quit her job at a local hospital for fear of bumping into her attacker and works night shifts to avoid ‘seeing her around’.
Eve said: ‘I’m always nervous of being on my own. I am not the same person I was and I don’t think I can ever be again.
‘When someone can take a knife out to specifically attack you, you realise anything could happen, and that’s scary. ‘My mum, dad and sister have really struggled, mentally and emotionally. Mum and dad have had to take lots of time off work to support me.’
Eve continued: ‘People are dying everyday because of knife crime. It’s wrong. Kids like the girl that attacked me think it’s OK.
‘That’s why I want people to see the injuries I had. These weren’t just scratches; they are serious deep knife wounds. ‘I was attacked completely by surprise – I had no chance at all.’ The knife missed Eve’s spine by millimetres.
She added: ‘I lost huge amounts of blood, suffered a collapsed lung, and was very nearly paralysed. ‘If it wasn’t for two people who were passing by who helped me, I don’t know what would have happened. ‘I’m really thankful to them, and the paramedics who looked after me. They saved my life.’
