Woman jailed for stabbing man during drunken argument

Monday 13 December 2021

A woman who stabbed a man in the back with a 12-inch kitchen knife, which caused him to be put in an induced coma, has been sent to prison for four years and nine months.

Lisa Michelle Vieira De Sousa (38) was sentenced for a grave and criminal assault by the Royal Court on Monday, which it described as a deliberate and unprovoked attack.

As well as being sentenced for the assault, her prison term was extended because, in committing the offence, she broke earlier probation and community service orders handed down in July 2020 for breaking into a property while drunk and stealing £900-worth of items.

De Sousa stabbed the victim in the back during a drunken argument at a friend’s property in St. Helier on 26 April this year. 

When the police arrived, they found the victim lying on the floor at the entrance to the flat. He was conscious but with a 2.5 cm stab wound on his lower back, which was covered by a towel.

De Sousa aggressively resisted arrest and had to be tasered by an officer. She was then cautioned and arrested for attempted murder.

The Court heard that it was “more by luck than judgement” that the knife had not penetrated any vital organs. 

However, while in hospital, the victim was placed in a medically induced coma due to internal bleeding and required surgery.

Attorney General Mark Temple, prosecuting, told the Court that while there had been an argument between De Sousa and the victim, there was no provocation.

“The defendant asserts that she was simply intending to intimidate the victim but she went to the kitchen to get the knife and she ended up stabbing him,” he said.

“There was an obvious risk of causing injury, whether the action was aimed or not.”

Pictured: Attorney General Mark Temple was prosecuting for the Crown.

Mr Temple said that after initially denying she had been responsible for the stabbing, De Sousa now accepted responsibility, admitting she was “grossly intoxicated” at the time.

The court also heard that De Sousa had 44 previous convictions, which included assaulting the victim. 

In a statement, read out in court, the victim said he was “shocked" by the actions of a woman he deeply cared for. He said the stabbing had exacerbated depression and caused anxiety and paranoia. He also suffered numbness and throbbing pain which had prevented him from working.

Defending, Advocate Sarah Dale said that De Sousa had initially picked up the knife to intimate the victim and she had no intention to use it to cause physical harm. 

“Only when efforts to remove it became sustained that she impulsively used it with a single strike,” she said. “She was immediately shocked at her actions and did not try to flee.

“Miss de Sousa says she finds it difficult to recognise herself when she reflects on what happened that day.”

Advocate Dale said that De Sousa and the man often rowed and that there had been provocation, telling the Court that her client had also been injured that day but had not made an official complaint. 

Pictured: Advocate Sarah Dale defended De Sousa.

The lawyer continued: “Alcohol has been at the centre of all Miss De Sousa’s offending. She recognises that alcohol makes her a different person and needs to be removed from her life. 

“She is keen to move on from a reliance on alcohol during traumatic times.

“On remand, she is now somewhere where she is stable and can maintain a period of sobriety and stability to hopefully move on in a different way than before.”

Passing sentence, Deputy Bailiff Robert MacRae, who was sitting with Jurats Elizabeth Dulake, Kim Averty and Andrew Cornish, told De Sousa, who was appearing remotely from the prison: “You deliberately armed yourself with a large knife to intimidate the victim.

“You pushed him across the room, which caused him to turn around and, at the same time, you pushed in the knife.

“The Court will continue to send a clear message that those who resort to attacks with a knife will face severe sentences.”

De Sousa was imprisoned for four years for the serious assault and an extra nine months for the earlier illegal entry and larceny conviction.

She was also given a five-year restraining order, preventing her from contacting the victim in any way, which also prevents him contacting her.

After sentencing, Detective Constable Jeremy Percival said: “The victim has suffered considerably as a result of this attack and is still receiving ongoing support. 

“I commend him for remaining firm in his stance to see justice done.”