Derbyshire man who attempted to murder his wife is jailed

A man who went on the run with his teenage son after stabbing his wife multiple times and locking her in the family home has been jailed.

The attack by Mark Taylor was so severe that the knife he was using snapped. But the 57-year-old carried on the assault on his partner after grabbing a second knife.

He then demanded she hand over her phone to him, saying he would call an ambulance. But instead Taylor said to his her "this will be the end of you" before locking the doors to the house in Baslow and driving away with the couple’s son.

Taylor’s wife tried to call for help through the letterbox before managing to crawl up the stairs where she shouted out of a bedroom window and managed to catch the attention of a passing dog walker who called emergency services.

She was taken to hospital for treatment after suffering stab wounds to her neck, arm, chest and stomach in the 15 February attack.

Automatic number plate recognition cameras captured Taylor’s car moving around Derbyshire before heading to Cheshire. He was stopped later that day by Cheshire Police and arrested, subsequently being charged with attempted murder.

Taylor, of Wheatlands Lane, Baslow, denied the offence but was found guilty on 15 August after a trial at Derby Crown Court.

He appeared at the same court on 14 October for sentence when he was jailed for 23 years with a five-year extension for dangerousness. He was also handed an indefinite restraining order preventing him from having any contact with his wife and son.

Temporary Detective Constable Amber Holmes, who led the investigation, said: “This was a ferocious and sustained attack by Taylor on his wife who genuinely feared she was going to die.

“After this incident she disclosed to police that she had been suffering from domestic abuse at the hands of her husband for around 40 years including a previous incident involving a knife.

“It’s clear from the history and the actions of Taylor on this day that he posed a very real threat to his wife.

“I am pleased therefore that the judge has recognised the danger posed by Taylor with this extended sentence.”