A jealous partner who tried to kill her lottery-winning girlfriend when she ended their relationship has been jailed for 18 years.
Stephen Gibbs, 45, stabbed Emma Brown seven times in the face at their home in Barry, Wales, on January 20 this year.
The couple reunited in 2010, but their relationship went downhill after she raised £ 5.5 million on the National Lottery in 2017, the court heard.
The prosecutor said Gibbs had become more and more paranoid and controlling towards Mrs. Brown, 49, who he thought was cheating on him with an old school friend.
Mrs Brown was found by neighbors after Gibbs left her in a pool of blood with multiple wounds to her face, a broken arm and bruises after the attack.
She also partially lost sight in her right eye and has very limited feeling in her face as a result of her ordeal.
Gibbs – formerly jailed for stabbing a former partner’s 11-year-old son six times with a kitchen knife – denied the attempted murder of Mrs Brown.
He changed his plea on the first day of his trial in September.
Judge Richard Twomlow said at the sentencing hearing at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court on Monday: “(This offense) has a number of aggravating features – being in the victim’s own home, the fact that you simply left her there and drove away, and your previous convictions for similar behavior.
“I am also of the opinion that, because of your previous convictions of this type, you pose a serious risk of further harm.”
Gibbs is due to serve two-thirds of his sentence in custody – instead of the usual half – and will be licensed for another five years.
Prosecutor Ieuan Bennett told the court: “It appears that the defendant had more of a problem with (Ms Brown) having control over his own life.
The verdict was handed down on Monday by Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court in Wales
“She had dreams of traveling around the world, but due to the fact that the defendant did not like to travel abroad, she never realized those dreams and it must have caused some difficulties with their relationship.”
Mrs Brown handed over a birthday card to her cleaning assistant on January 30, and returned around noon. 8pm – when Gibbs accused her of meeting her old school friend.
She told him that the relationship was over – which made him lose his temper.
Mrs. Brown remembered that Gibbs strangled her, pulled her outside, and returned with a large kitchen knife.
Gibbs initially threatened to cut his own throat – before stepping on Mrs. Brown and launching her attack.
He fled the scene in his car, later called a friend and told her, “I did something stupid, I stabbed Emma – I found out she had messed around and was cheating on me – I lost it and stabbed her in the face.”
He told her he had taken many pills and felt drowsy, adding, “I think I killed her.”
In a statement affecting the victim, Brown said Gibbs had never been violent before.
She said of the attack: “It has completely ruined my self-esteem, I also suffer from self-esteem because I trusted him.
“We were together for years and I can not believe he was able to deceive me, I never thought he would do such a thing, but he did and I can not even consider opening myself to trust on another.”
The court heard how Gibbs was jailed for six years with four more licensed to stab the 11-year-old victim in 2005.
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