Brave woman 'vindicated' after Rotherham man who stabbed her learns he must spend extra time behind bars

The horrifying attack that led to Nicola’s day in court

After months of delayed court hearings, and recovering from serious stab wounds inflicted during a night of horrifying violence, the day for Nicola’s* former partner and attacker, Michael Jones, to be brought to justice at Sheffield Crown Court finally arrived on June 6 this year. It came four months after the attack, which took place in the early hours of Tuesday, February 8. In the moments leading up to it, Jones of Mendip Rise, Brinsworth, Rotherham, woke Nicola up and demanded she leave the property.

“This wasn’t anything new to me, I had been there many times before,” Nicola said. She picked up the ‘go bag’ she always kept the end of the bed in case of such threats, and began to collect items she would need for work the following day.

Nicola says Jones threw her things out of the window, and as she attempted to collect them he embarked upon the abhorrent attack which started with Jones punching her, causing her to fall to the floor, before suffocating her with a pillow, removing it and then forcibly placing it back over her face, on numerous occasions.

“When I struggled, he put more pressure on. He would let me catch my breath if I stopped moving, and would take it back off,” Nicola said.

“When I could talk, I tried to reason with him to let me go. He told me his life was over, and so was mine. He told me that when he was finished with me, no-one would find me, but it didn’t matter because no-one cared about me. He told me that he was going to send me back to my mother,” Nicola said, explaining that callous Jones, aged 40, was referring to the fact her mother died 17 years ago.

‘I genuinely thought I was going to die’

“I was so scared, I genuinely thought I was going to die,” she said, adding that the violence he subjected her to had left her unable to sit up, and experiencing huge pain to her head.

But sadly, the attack did not end there. Nicola described how Jones then proceeded to get a knife from the kitchen, placed it in between her breasts, and began to play a sick game of truth or dare, whereby he would force the knife into her skin if she got an answer wrong.

Jones initially ‘pushed the knife in, but not all the way,’ causing superficial cuts where the ‘blade had been,’ Nicola said; before removing the knife from her chest, and telling her he wanted to go upstairs so he could tie her to the bed and stab her there.

Nicola could not stand due to her injuries, and attempted to crawl through the kitchen towards the back door, but Jones was blocking the exit. She says she is ‘not quite sure’ what happened next, but knows Jones stabbed her in the kitchen, and subsequently remembers being on the bed upstairs bleeding profusely.

After initially refusing her pleas to call an ambulance, Jones eventually capitulated and phoned the emergency services, but claimed Nicola had ‘fallen’ on the knife – an explanation that was rejected immediately by the paramedics who arrived a short time later. Nicola was rushed to hospital and had to undergo emergency surgery, which she estimates took between six and seven hours, following damage to her bowel.

Nicola’s fight for life

She has been left with numerous psychological and physical scars, including one that runs from her breasts to her tummy from the surgery, as well as ones on her arms from where Jones cut her with broken glass, and one on her face that tragically forces her to remember the violence she was subjected to ‘every time’ she looks in the mirror.

During the course of their year-long relationship, Nicola says Jones isolated her from her friends and family so much so that she did not tell any of her loved ones what had happened until she was a week into her fortnight stay in hospital.

They rallied around, and have supported her all the way through the legal process from her decision to proceed with the charges against Jones through to the court hearings, after he pleaded guilty to a charge of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

Nicola made the courageous decision to not only face Jones in court during the sentencing hearing at Sheffield Crown Court, but to read out her victim impact statement herself – something she describes as ‘one of the scariest things’ she has ever done. “I wanted to show him that he no longer controls me, I wanted to show him that he no longer scares me, that he no longer has any control over me,” she said.

Despite being determined to have her powerful and considered words heard by the man who subjected her to a months-long campaign of control, manipulation and degradation, and left her with life-threatening injuries, Nicola’s resolve to read the statement in court wavered right up until the very last moment.

‘Reading my statement in court was my final way of showing him I was now free’

She said: “I don't know how I did it. Something inside me must have just clicked…that was my final way of showing him that I was now free, and could do what I wanted to do.”

Just moments after Nicola's incredible and commendable display of strength, she was left ‘devastated’ and ‘heartbroken’ when Jones was handed a significantly smaller than expected prison sentence of six years’ custody.

“Before we went in the [prosecuting] barrister said we were looking at 12 years, before credit for his guilty plea,” Nicola said. Reflecting on how it felt to see the sentence handed down, Nicola added: “All I could think was: he’ll be out in two-and-a-half years [once his time on remand and the requirement to serve half a custodial sentence has been taken into consideration].

“It’s a bit of a blur, but I know I felt really let down by the whole system. I felt it was really geared up for the offender, rather than for people like myself.”

During the court hearing, Nicola says mitigation was advanced on Jones’ behalf which she feels sought to make ‘excuses’ for one of his previous convictions for violence that was committed against a former partner and resulted in a prison sentence. She says this further compounded her fears that the criminal justice system is weighted in favour of defendants – and not complainants.

“When barristers are still allowed to victim blame in 2022 – it’s shocking. That’s why people don’t come forward, because you fear you won’t be believed, or will be blamed,” she said, adding: “I know barristers have a job to do, and sometimes they’re required to defend the indefensible, but there must be a better way.”

Case heard by the Court of Appeal

Fortunately, that was not the last time Jones’ attack on Nicola would be brought before a judge; and following his sentencing at Sheffield Crown Court, Nicola agreed to a request to pursue an appeal against Jones’ sentence. It was subsequently referred to the Court of Appeal by the then Solicitor General, Edward Timpson CBE KC MP.

Exactly four months after Jones’ initial sentencing hearing at Sheffield Crown Court, Jones was brought before the Court of Appeal on October 6. The court found Jones’ original sentence to be ‘unduly lenient’ and it was quashed. Jones was resentenced to 7 years and 6 months’ imprisonment, with an extended licence period of three years.

Commenting on how the original sentence being quashed made her feel, Nicola said: “I felt vindicated. I didn’t feel like three years [the custodial element of Jones’ first sentence] was long enough, but I didn’t know if that was just because it happened to me. But hearing the Court of Appeal judges feel that was correct let me know that my thoughts and feelings were right and should be vindicated.”

On ‘never giving up’ on the fight for justice

Nicola now hopes her successful attempt to quash her attacker’s sentence – and have it replaced with a longer one – could inspire others in the same situation.

“Never give up,” she said adding: “There were times when I was ready to give up, because I didn’t think anything would change. But giving up would probably be the worst thing I could have done. So don’t give up, try to keep that positive mindset and explore all avenues. Ask the police, ask the liaison officers, and get all the information you can. Don’t allow the person who has hurt you to dictate things to you, or to stop you fighting for justice.”

Help and support is available for victims and survivors of domestic abuse in Sheffield. Call IDAS on 0808 808 2241.

*Not her real name