Knifeman jailed for attack on couple

The knife attack happened in 2006 but Phillip Groom could not be charged earlier because of his own injuries including brain damage. He was then assessed for months to see if he was fit to plead.

Yesterday his victims, Brian and Andrea Attfield, were in court when he was finally sentenced for the frenzied attack which landed them both in hospital and continues to traumatise them.

Chloe Fairley, prosecuting, told Leeds Crown Court the incident on October 1 followed a long-running boundary dispute between the couple and Groom.

At the time they had lived in Eastfield Avenue, Knottingley, near Pontefract, for six years, while Groom had moved in with his partner two years earlier.

That morning Mrs Attfield left her car keys in her vehicle because they were planning to move a motorcycle, but while she was briefly indoors her husband heard the sound of a car engine revving and ran to the gate to find Groom behind the wheel of his wife's car.

Groom reversed it out of the drive, crashing into the fence of a house opposite, before driving forward and deliberately ramming Mr Attfield's parked car and then driving into the front wall of their garden.

Miss Fairley said Mr Attfield ran into his home to call the police but as he was standing in the hallway Groom appeared and without warning began to punch him about his body.

He then realised Groom was holding what appeared to be a steak knife with a three-inch blade. As Mr Attfield struggled with his attacker and was stabbed in the face he heard him say: "This is the day you are going to die."

Seeing what was happening, a frantic Mrs Attfield rushed to help her husband but was also stabbed as she tried to pull Groom away.

As she begged him to stop he told her he would not until he had killed them both.

Her sister, who was also in the house, picked up a metal bar and tried to hit Groom. She then ran into the living room to phone the police. Although Groom followed, he did not stab her but simply put the knife into his pocket and then left.

His victims went out into the street bleeding profusely and were helped by other neighbours before being taken to hospital.

Mr Attfield suffered at least seven wounds, one of which was life-threatening while his wife also had to be operated on for her injuries. Both spent five days in hospital.

Meanwhile the alert went out for Groom, who was spotted at about 1pm on a footbridge over the M62 near Ferrybridge Services shortly before he jumped.

He was found unconscious on the motorway and was taken to hospital with serious head injuries.

Dr Vera Neumann told the court Groom spent months in hospital before undergoing rehabilitation. He had made some improvements but was still physically and cognitively disabled and would cope poorly in prison.

Richard Canning, for Groom, urged the judge not to jail him where he would be vulnerable and a suicide risk. He said Groom could remember nothing of the events.

He was effectively now disabled for life and needed constant care from his family: "You are not now sentencing the person who stabbed these people."

Judge Rodney Grant said he accepted Groom had suffered a change in his mental and physical health but said there had to be a jail term.

Groom, now 31, of Oakfield Crescent, Knottingley admitted wounding Mr and Mrs Attfield with intent.