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A woman was stabbed three times and left with a punctured lung when she tried to stop a man attacking his partner in the street, a court has heard.

The woman and her husband were driving through Shotton, County Durham, when they saw Jonathan Knox dragging his partner across a road, Teesside Crown Court heard.

Knox was jailed for four years and nine months after admitting wounding with intent.

The 30-year-old also admitted stealing a man's keys and car from his home while he was putting his children to bed.

The court heard that the couple were driving through Shotton at about 17:30 GMT on 6 December when they saw Knox attacking his partner.

As the man parked up, the woman got out to stop the attack, prosecutors said.

Knox, who was unknown to them, shouted "is this what you wanted" before stabbing her three times with a knife and fleeing, the court heard.

His victim suffered lacerations to her neck and shoulder and a punctured left lung.

The attack happened while Knox, of Potto Street in Shotton Colliery, was out on bail awaiting sentencing for burglary and theft.

On New Year's Day 2022, Knox let himself into a man's home, took the keys for his car and drove off, the court heard.

The victim was putting his young children to bed at the time and Judge Nathan Adams said the impact of the "terrifying" burglary on the family could "not be over-emphasised".

The car was discovered abandoned in Peterlee about 20 minutes later with Knox's DNA found inside, the court heard.

In a statement, the victim of the burglary said he had been left feeling "quite vulnerable" as his home was supposed to be his children's "safe place".

Judge Adams said Knox's claim that he was "off his head on drugs" at the time of all the incidents was "no mitigation at all".

He said Knox had "clearly been out of control as a result of substance misuse" and he posed a "very serious risk of harm and danger to the public".

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