The 42-year-old victim was lucky to have survived the attack, according to the medical examiner who gave evidence for the case. The knife was said to have punctured the victim's aorta, an injury which usually proves fatal within a few minutes.
The wound, which ten centimetres deep, caused significant blood loss, but the victim recovered quickly and was discharged from hospital two weeks later.
On the day of the incident, the woman called an ambulance and said her partner had been stabbed near the heart, according to the police investigator's report.
Hours before the stabbing, an argument broke out between the couple when the man returned from work. Words were exchanged on the topic of drinking, as the couple wanted to give up alcohol. The woman then went to lay down as she felt ill, and later woke up to find her partner had gone. Suspecting he was with another woman, the perpetrator visited the other woman's house, but her calls went unanswered. A neighbour, however, confirmed that the woman's boyfriend had entered the other house.
The woman then returned home, where she drank brandy - a breathalyser test performed after the stabbing indicated her blood alcohol level was around 2.5 grams. When her partner returned, he denied having been with another woman, at which point the perpetrator threatened to stab him with a knife.
The victim goaded the woman into performing the act, and lost consciousness after he was struck with the knife. The perpetrator went into shock and alerted the emergency services. She later told a neuropsychiatrist that she had only intended to wound her partner, rather than kill him. She was examined by psychiatrists but no evidence of any mental disorder was detected.
The perpetrator is facing trial for premeditated murder, as she allegedly told a male friend on the phone that she would stab her partner with a knife, just an hour before the incident took place.
The victim will give evidence in court on Thursday via telephone link. The case is expected to conclude on the same day.
