Walker grandmother stabbed with scissors in street after clashing with 'disruptive' neighbour

A grandmother was stabbed with a pair of scissors after clashing with her "disruptive" neighbour, a court has heard.

Charlene Hetherington had argued with the victim earlier that night and been assaulted by her, Newcastle Crown Court heard. She later approached her in the street and attacked her with the scissors, leaving her with wounds to her arms and abdomen.

The 36-year-old, who has a previous conviction for stabbing another woman who had assaulted her, was jailed for 18 months. Her partner, Jamie Bennett, was also jailed for 12 months for witness intimidation.

The incident happened in Newcastle on 6 August last year.

Hetherington attended the victim's friend's flat in Walker at about 8pm and after initially ignoring her, the woman answered the door and they argued and fought. The court heard the victim was said to have assaulted Hetherington.

Later on, the woman was told Hetherington was at her home and when she got there found her banging on the window with a rock, cracking the glass and throwing the rock towards her. At about 10pm, the victim and her friend left her home to go back to his flat and Hetherington was there and they began arguing again.

Hetherington then approached her aggressively and stabbed her four or five times with a pair of scissors. She was taken to hospital and found to have a puncture wound to her arm, a superficial wound to her abdomen and two small wounds to her other arm. She also had bruising to her arm and abrasions to her knee.

In a victim impact statement, she said: "This has left me frightened in my home. I'm sick of having such a disruptive neighbour like Charlene. I just want a quiet life.

"I'm worried she will return and it's stressful. I look after my granddaughter and I don't want her to witness any of this behaviour."

Hetherington has 16 previous convictions, including for stabbing another woman with a knife after an argument in which she was assaulted, for which she got a suspended sentence in 2018.

For the latest offending, she pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding, possessing a bladed article and criminal damage and was jailed for 18 months and given a five-year restraining order in relation to the victim. She has already served eight months on remand and was told she is likely to be released in a month.

Hetherington's boyfriend, Bennett, 32, of Losh Terrace, Walker, admitted witness intimidation after threatening to "do in" the victim's friend if the charges against Hetherington were not dropped after the friend gave a statement to police about the stabbing. The friend was left "depressed, fearful and anxious".

Bennett, who has 92 previous convictions, including for violence, was jailed for 12 months. He was given a restraining order in relation to the friend.

Penny Hall, for Hetherington, said: "There was an earlier incident where the complainant assaulted the defendant first. The complainant was on top of her punching her to the head numerous times."

She added, about the stabbing: "Fortunately the injuries are not more serious." Miss Hall said being remanded in custody had "saved her life" as it helped her deal with her substance misuse.

Jonathan Pigford, for Bennett, said he had made good progress in prison.

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