A woman who stabbed her partner in the neck has been warned she could have killed him – and at the time she clearly believed that she had.

Fortunately, Lynsey Jennings, 42, had not caused a serious injury, a court was told yesterday.

But after her arrest she asked police if he was dead, and if it would be manslaughter?

Jennings, of Ennerdale in Skelmersdale, West Lancashire, admitted wounding Clinton Rodgers at Wrexham after an earlier charge of wounding with intent was dropped.

She received a two-year prison sentence, suspended for two years and was placed on rehabilitation to include alcohol treatment.

A two-year restraining order was made and she must not go to Mr Rodgers’ home.

Judge Niclas Parry said that if they were to continue in a relationship, then it was important that he had a bolt-hole.

He told Jennings at Mold Crown Court: “You understand that you could quite easily have killed him.

“In fact you believed that you had.

“You collected a knife from one room and took it to another.”

Jennings, said the judge, stabbed Mr Rodgers’ neck at the level of his ear.

Judge Parry said there was growing concern about the use of knives in domestic violence incidents.

And he warned that the case was no less serious when such offences were committed by a woman on a man.

However, it was one blow and mercifully it had turned out to be a minor injury,

Jennings, said the judge, had acted out of character and only had minor irrelevant previous convictions.

And the victim, in fairness, accepted he had been violent towards her in the past.

Prosecutor Matthew Curtis said she had been in a relationship with Clinton Rodgers, 56, but had her own flat in Liverpool.

On May 10 she was drinking with him at his home address in Wrexham with friends.

All of them had drunk to excess and in the early hours of the morning, the defendant started to argue with him.

One of the friends tried to intervene which appeared to have caused a row between him and the friend, who left.

By the early hours of the morning – the complainant was on the couch clearly the worse for drink and vulnerable.

He described himself as awake but not really alert and the defendant tried to tell him to get up and go to bed.

But he was unresponsive, so Jennings tried to drag him.

Eventually he got up, but promptly fell down to the floor behind the couch.

Mr Curtis said at that point Jennings said to him: “If you don’t get up, I’ll kill you.”

She then went to the kitchen and returned with a black handled large kitchen knife with a six-inch blade.

She held the knife above him and stabbed him to the back of the neck.

It was alleged she then went to stab him a second and third time before a friend who was present kicked the knife from her hand.

The victim felt his neck stiffen and saw the knife land on the floor before realising he had been stabbed.

“He could not believe what had happened,” said Mr Curtis.

Blankets were held to his neck to stem the significant blood. The complainant had been taking warfarin.

Paramedics were called at 5.53 am and they notified the police.

She said to the victim: “You’re not gonna get me done for this?”

In hospital he was treated for a 1cm laceration to the back of the head level with the ear. It was a superficial wound which was glued.

Mr Curtis said after her arrest Jennings asked if the victim was dead and said he should not have pushed her.

The victim had suffered headaches and numbness and had been referred for further tests. He had difficulty sleeping and felt anxious.

Defence barrister Andrew Green urged the judge to impose a suspended sentence in all the circumstances of the case which had been adjourned previously for Jennings to be assessed by the alcohol service.

The outcome was she was suitable for assistance in the community.