Wife stabber gets life sentence

A husband who repeatedly stabbed his wife 30 times in the deluded belief she was cheating on him has been jailed for life.

Jay Clark, 35, subjected his partner, 33-year-old Khalen Hunter, to a brutal and sustained attack at their home in Enfield, north London, on 25 April 2020.

Courageous neighbour Greg Ainsworth came to her rescue when he broke down the front door and intervened in what he described as ‘a scene from a horror film.’

Ms Hunter’s throat had been cut and she suffered multiple slash and stab wounds to her body, the Old Bailey heard.

She was flown by helicopter to the major trauma unit at the Royal London Hospital where surgeons saved her life.

Ms Hunter’s father wrote to the court that she was ‘a shadow of her former self’ as she continues to recover.

She was unable to give evidence during the trial or even provide a victim impact statement.

Judge Philip Katz told Clark: ‘You deliberately stabbed Khalen Hunter 30 times all over her body, intending to cause her serious injury. The doctors gave up counting the many stab wounds to her face, back and neck.

‘The fact that she did not die could be described as a miracle.’

Mr Ainsworth described the bloodbath at the flat as ‘a scene from a horror film’, the court heard. He was awarded a commendation for his extraordinary bravery in intervening and calling the police.

Jude Katz said: ‘He saw a lot of blood and you were standing over her holding a knife… in your other hand you were holding her hair.

‘He saw you dragging Khalen Hunter backward along the floor as he repeatedly asked you what you were doing and told you to stop.

‘In spite of not being religious, you were speaking about God and his plan. Asking officers if they were the devil and if you were dead.’

Ms Hunter was trying to leave the toxic relationship with Clark in the days leading up to the attack.

Judge Katz said: ‘I am sure you knew there were problems in your relationship and your use of violence was a massive escalation of the situation.’

Clark had been having thoughts that Khalen may be having an affair and it was not the first time he had doubted the loyalty of a partner.

‘You are a person who, in the context of romantic partners, was prone to unreasonable jealous feelings.’

Mark Paltenghi, prosecuting, earlier told the court: ‘Clark was in the bathroom, crouching over Ms Hunter.

‘She was on her knees and was shouting, ‘help, help’. Mr Clark pulled her head back by the hair; she was covered in blood.

‘Clark held a knife to her throat and said something like: ‘I’m going to f–king do it’.

‘Mr Ainsworth was in shock,’ said Mr Paltenghi.

‘Mr Clark – who was last been seen in the bathroom by Mr Ainsworth with a knife held against Ms Hunter’s throat of – now appeared to be moving backwards with Ms Hunter, out of the flat into the communal hallway. Mr Ainsworth said: ‘Jay, what are you doing, please stop’.

‘We will see on the body worn footage as officers struggled to get Mr Clark outside and restrained him on the grass.

‘Again, Mr Clark asked the officers: ‘Are you going to f–king kill me, you c–t’.

Following his arrest Clark could be heard saying: ‘I’m going to a special place, aren’t I; I must be. I’ve done that f*cking Yay. I shouldn’t have done the Yay should I?’

(‘Yay’ is a slang name for Cocaine)

He said repeatedly: ‘I f–ked up, I f–ked up’.

Clark, of Newsholme Drive, Enfield, denied but was convicted by the jury of attempted murder.

He was sentenced at the Old Bailey today (fri) to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 14 years.

Clark, who was receiving psychiatric treatment at Chase Farm Hospital in Enfield, returned to hospital to await his transfer to prison.