Woman jailed for stabbing teenager in the heart

Mother-to-be Nicola Tweed's victim suffered a cardiac arrest after the knife attack and had to be resuscitated before undergoing an emergency operation.

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 organ which was closed with sutures.

A judge told Tweed who is eight months pregnant: "It is most unfortunate you must be committed to custody at this time."

But Temporary judge Kenneth Maciver said a prison sentence had to be imposed because of the seriousness of the offence and "to underline the resolve of the courts in Scotland to deal with violent knife crime brought on by excessive drinking in a determined way".

The judge said the danger to the victim's life was very real and added: "She is fortunate to be alive on any view. Without prompt, professional intervention she would most certainly have bled to death."

He said a background report on Tweed showed many years of a "chaotic and directionless lifestyle" and a daily diet of heroin and super lager.

He said the births of four children, who were taken into care, had not brought about a change in her lifestyle that might have been hoped for.

The judge also pointed out that Tweed was assessed as posing a high risk of further offending.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard that as a result of the attack and operation the teenage victim 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 13 December in 2008.

But the Crown earlier 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, latterly 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 2 am 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 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 told the court that 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 said Tweed did not go out with the intention of using the knife, but in a bid to frighten off those at the door.

Mr Gallagher said she "deeply regrets" the incident.