A West Hampstead woman who almost disembowelled her partner with a kitchen knife after police failed to pursue her claims of domestic abuse has been given a suspended jail sentence.

Tanya Byrne, 36, of Fordwych Road, made 19 separate complaints about Lee Tyler over a ten month period but all of them were marked ‘no further action.’

James Dawson, prosecuting, said: “Certainly at one point she did have injuries to her body, but the complainant [Mr Tyler] said it was an accident when they were dancing, but I don’t think we’ll ever get to the bottom of that.”

Byrne repeatedly forgave her partner because she was in love with him, Southwark Crown Court heard.

Byrne stabbed Mr Tyler in the stomach during another row at their home on July 1 last year.

His intestines were bulging out of his stomach by the time emergency services arrived.

Byrne was charged with attempted murder but the prosecution accepted her guilty plea to the lesser charge of unlawful wounding after Mr Tyler refused to come to court to give evidence.

Judge Nicholas Loraine-Smith decided not to send her to jail after describing the attack as ‘excessive self defence.’

He remarked the turbulent relationship between Byrne and Mr Tyler was ‘not uncommon’ and on alcohol.

The judge told her not to have any contact with Mr Tyler and said: “If he turns up in your life you walk away and if you do not you are in breach of this order and you are back in front of me.’

He added: ‘It was a single blow - there is obvious remorse. It was excessive self-defence.’

Byrne will have to return to court to give a progress report to the judge on April 11.

She was sentenced to 16 months imprisonment suspended for two years.