Judge spares Northampton mother from jail after 'slanging match' leads to knife fight

A Northampton mother who stabbed another woman in a street fight following a "particularly nasty" exchange of insults online has been spared jail.

Tensions were already high between Connie Smith, of Wallbeck Close, and another woman in January 2019 after the two traded "very unpleasant words" in a social media tiff.

But when the other women pulled up outside her house soon after, Smith's response was to grab a steak knife and step out to confront her.

The ensuing fight in the street led to Smith, 23, stabbing the other woman, who required one stitch at hospital.

But at her sentencing at Northampton Crown Court yesterday (November 4), Her Honour Judge Adrienne Lucking scolded both women for their behaviour over what she called "a slanging match".

She said: "This amounts to a slanging match on social media. This was was an incident in a public place that simply should never have happened.

"Despite whatever was said between you two on social media you should knot have gone outside when she arrived at your house.

"The messages between you two does not do you any credit. They are extremely unpleasant."

In a previous court hearing, Smith pleaded guilty to wounding without intent, and if it had gone to trial she would have been facing two years minimum in jail.

Judge Lucking said: "Every year this court see people who die as a result of people taking knives to fights. This is an extremely serious offence you have committed.

"I want to make it clear that, subject only to some exceptionally unusual circumstances, people who take knives into the public who go to prison."

On balance, the judge ruled that Smith was "genuinely remorseful" and was now receiving treatment for her emotional welfare.

Smith was handed a 19-month prison sentence suspended for two years, as well as 100 hours unpaid work.