Man knifed 30 times after row over sleeping arrangements

A woman from Acton has been given a suspended sentence after a court heard how a family party ended with her stabbing her abusive husband.

Sharon Daly, aged 37, had attacked Alan Black after he punched her sister and picked up a knife to attack other members of her family. Black had a previous conviction for assaulting a baby and his wife told the court how she had suffered 10 year's of violent abuse from him.

Police arrived at Sharon Daly's front door to find her clutching a knife with blood-smeared hands. It was alleged that she joined forces with her brother-in-law Andrew Bourke, 40, of Maldon Road, Acton and his son James Daly, 18 of Carlton Road, Chiswick to stab her estranged husband Alan Black 30 times at her family home in Alwyn Gardens, Acton.

Sharon Daly said Alan Black had suddenly flown into a violent rage when he saw her lying on a bed next to her nephew. He knocked out her sister and then picked up a knife to attack Andrew Bourke and James Daly.

Ms Daly, giving evidence, said, "I thought my sister was dead. She wasn't moving. I was trying to rouse her, trying to shake her and I started screaming. Alan was screaming he was going to kill me and James had his arm round his neck trying to stop him. I know Alan had something in his hand because I could see Andrew trying to disarm him."

Ms Daly said her former husband was shouting: "I'm gonna kill that bitch, I'm gonna kill that slag." She had stabbed him because, "I just wanted it to end and I picked up [the knife] and stabbed him three or four times to the front of his body."

Mr Black had been released from a four year sentence a few months earlier for punching his baby son in the face during an argument with his ex-wife. He claimed he had been first attacked by James Daly before the other two joined in an assault which ended with him receiving over 30 stab wounds.

Andrew Bourke and James Daly were cleared of all charges by the jury. Sharon Daly was cleared of attempted murder but convicted of wounding with intent and given a 51 week jail sentence suspended for two years.

November 4, 2006