Teenager stabbed in the heart during fight at party

Published on Wednesday 10 February 2010 09:07

A WOMAN stabbed a teenager in the heart after the pair got into a fight at a party in Edinburgh.

Heavily-pregnant Nicola Tweed was sent to prison today by a judge who warned her she faced a jail sentence "of some length".

Temporary judge Kenneth Maciver told her: "The victim of this assault has come close to death and it is, on any view, a serious matter."

Tweed's victim suffered a cardiac arrest in hospital after the attack and had to be resuscitated before being operated on.

Zoe Mitchell, 17, had her breast bone opened up along with the sac around her heart and doctors found she had suffered a knife wound to the heart which was closed with sutures.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard that as a result of the attack and operation the teenager was left with "a large scar which stretches from her neck to her navel".

After the stabbing Tweed, 38, fled from the scene but was detained by police the following day after she called them to her then partner's flat in Leith following a domestic incident.

When officers arrived she told them: "I ken you want me for the stabbing."

Tweed, formerly of Cables Wynd House, in Edinburgh, was originally charged with attempting to murder Miss Mitchell in the assault at Persevere Court in the city's North Leith Mill on December 13 in 2008.

But the Crown accepted her guilty plea to a reduced charge of assault to severe injury, permanent disfigurement and to the danger of life by striking her on the body with a knife.

The court heard that unemployed Tweed, now of Wishaw, in Lanarkshire, is currently in "an advanced state of pregnancy" and is due to give birth in April.

Advocate depute Leanne Cross said Tweed and Miss Mitchell were known to each before the attack through other people, but were not friends.

Miss Mitchell and friends had visited a flat in the block at Persevere Court and were drinking. Tweed was with her friends in another flat in the block.

The prosecutor said that the two groups joined up about midnight and everyone was happy at first. But around 2am an argument broke out between Tweed and Miss Mitchell which turned into a physical fight or struggle.

The advocate depute said Miss Mitchell described herself as getting the better of Tweed before the pair separated.

She told the court: "The others present saw that both the victim and the accused had huge chunks of hair missing from their heads."

Tweed was asked to leave the flat and did, returning to the upstairs flat where she had been earlier in the night.

Miss Cross said Miss Mitchell decided to go and confront Tweed and repeatedly banged on the flat door and shouted on her to come out.

Tweed opened the door and Miss Mitchell and two of her friends who had followed her saw she was brandishing a large kitchen knife. She stabbed Miss Mitchell in the chest just below her left breast.

The advocate depute said: "The victim did not fall down immediately and made her towards the stairs, but collapsed in the hallway. The accused went back into the flat with the knife and closed the door." Tweed then left via a fire escape.

A neighbour heard a female voice screaming and found the victim struggling to breathe. She was found to have a puncture wound to her chest and police and paramedics were called.

The prosecutor said that when surgeons opened up the sac around the victim's heart they found a large amount of blood and also used two sutures to close a wound on her heart. Doctors involved in her treatment said that she would have died without prompt medical intervention.

Miss Cross said the victim said she is now more cautious when she goes out and gets a fright if someone approaches her from behind.

After Tweed was detained by police she admitted fighting with Miss Mitchell but repeatedly denied that she stabbed her.

Defence counsel Frank Gallagher asked for Tweed's bail to be continued while background reports are prepared ahead of sentencing next month.

He said her condition was being monitored following difficulties in the pregnancy.

But the judge remanded her in custody and said: "I am satisfied the prison authorities will be able to deal appropriately should any matters arise during the next two weeks or so."