MAN JAILED FOR STABBING PARTNER IN THE FACE
A man who attempted to murder his partner, leaving her with life-changing facial injuries which may mean she can never smile properly again, has been jailed for 23 years.Surrey Police reported that 39-year-old Richard Flower, from Sunbury-on-Thames, attacked his long-term partner with a knife as she slept on the sofa on 25 August 2024.
The force described the incident as "horrific" and said that an episode of poor mental health led Flower to believe he was being cheated on.
On Friday, Guildford Crown Court also sentenced him to an additional four years on extended licence as a "dangerous offender".
The attack occurred early morning after Flower became convinced his partner had cheated during a brief visit to the bathroom.
Police said that after hours of interrogation, the victim went to sleep on the sofa but was attacked "when she had no opportunity to see him coming or defend herself".
She initially thought she had been punched but realized she had been stabbed twice in the face when she tried to stand.
She also sustained defensive injuries to her hand and arm.
In her police statement, she expressed that "the injury to my jaw line, where the weapon has made impact with the main nerve which affects my ability to smile, may never be repairable and I have been advised I may never be able to smile again properly." She added that "the mental and physical scars Richard has left behind will be there forever" and "no amount of prison time will make up for what he has done." Surrey Police's Det Sgt Ali Bagshaw praised the victim's bravery and stressed that the force would "always take reports of domestic abuse and violence against women and girls seriously."
