'Obsessed' man jailed over knife attack

Victim Katharina Samuel, 48, had rejected the advances of George Lowe, 55. She was boiling a kettle to make him a drink when he plunged a knife into her, York Crown Court was told.

She needed treatment for a collapsed lung, but died from an overdose three weeks later. Lowe, of Wains Road, Dringhouses, York, admitted wounding with intent.

In previous incidents, Lowe threatened his victim with a rolling pin and pushed a knife against her chest. He had told a neighbour he was "going to stab her" weeks before the knifing last May, the court heard.

Judge Stephen Ashurst jailed him indefinitely for public protection with a minimum term of two and a half years. Passing sentence, he said Miss Samuel had regarded Lowe as a friend and acted kindly towards him.

The judge added: "You became obsessed with her. You are a danger to any woman you feel romantic about, particularly those who do not share your feelings. Your remorse is superficial."

After the stabbing Miss Samuel, who had been friends with Lowe for two and a half years, spent two days in intensive care, returning home after a week's treatment.

On June 10, three weeks after the attack, an ex-partner became concerned about her whereabouts. He went to her council flat and found her lying in the kitchen after a suspected overdose.

Diane Nixon, mitigating, said "something just clicked" when Lowe stabbed Miss Samuel. "He had been frustrated she didn't want to be his girlfriend," she added.