A KINFEMAN tried to kill his ex-girlfriend during a car park confrontation after she refused to get back with him, a court heard.
David Martin plunged a blade deep into Kate Taylor’s chest during a meeting ouside EDF Energy firm at Doxford Park, Sunderland, where they both worked.
Newcastle Crown Court heard Miss Taylor, who is in her 20s, had not realised the knife was in her chest after Martin lunged at her as she got out of his car.
She initially thought her former lover had been trying to kiss her after she refused to give their relationship another go and only realised she had been stabbed when she saw the handle sticking out of her skin.
Prosecutor Nicholas Campbell QC told the court: “The prosecution case is the defendant stabbed her and that when he did so he intended to kill her.
“At the very least he intended to cause her really serious harm.”
Martin, 30, of Telford Road, Thorney Close, Sunderland, denies attempted murder and wounding with intent and is being tried by a jury at Newcastle Crown Court.
Mr Campbell showed jurors the black-handled knife that had been left sticking out of Miss Taylor’s chest.
Mr Campbell told the court: “This knife was sticking out of her chest.
“It was sticking out just above her left breast where she believed her heart was.
“She saw the blood soaking into her clothing. She had not seen the knife before and she had not felt it entering her body.
“At that point she felt no pain, just pressure on her chest. She was terrified, believing she was about to die.”
The court heard Miss Taylor managed to kick the car door open and stagger for help after she pulled the weapon out of her own chest.
As she lay injured, waiting for paramedics she was asking “Am I going to die?”
Miss Taylor was taken to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newastle with a “gaping wound” to her left chest, which fortunately had missed her heart and lungs.
The court heard Miss Taylor had reluctantly agreed to meet up with Martin on her lunchbreak that day on May 11 last year after he had “bombarded” her with messages and calls since their break up in November 2011.
Mr Campbell told the court the couple had both been at work that morning and Martin had inundated her with messages while she repeatedly told him their relationship was over and they were now just friends.
During the exchange Martin had said in one message: “Are you going to have a smoke with me on dinner then I wont bother you and we will just get on ourselves.”
The court heard during the lunchbreak Martin saw Miss Taylor sitting in her pal’s car and said he needed to talk to her “just one last time”.
Around ten minutes before her lunchbreak ended Miss Taylor went and sat in Martin’s car with him, as he had asked.
Mr Campbell told the court: “He told her he wanted to get back together.
She said no.”
The court heard it was after further discussion Miss Taylor reached for the door to leave the car she was attacked.
Mr Campbell said: “She just managed to open it when the defendant suddenly lunged at her.
“He got on top of her, pinning her back against the seat.
“She was shocked.
“At first she thought he was trying to kiss her but then she looked down and saw she had in fact been stabbed.”
Martin was arrested nearby and claimed he had taken 250 paracetomol after the stabbing.
He claims Miss Taylor accidentally impaled herself on the knife, when he held it against her skin as an act of asking for help.
•The trial continues.