A WOMAN whose world was turned upside down when her marriage ended later snapped and stabbed her estranged husband as he played bowls.

William Whitehead sustained a wound to the back as a result of the attack at the British Legion club in Longridge, near Preston, but a court was told he did not want his wife to go to prison.

Doreen Whitehead, 57, of Preston Road, Grimsargh, was given twelve months prison sentence, suspended for a year when she appeared at Preston Crown Court. She pleaded guilty to a charge of unlawful wounding.

The court heard that the Whiteheads had been married for 38 years before separating around September last year.

Mr Neil Standage, prosecuting, said Mr Whitehead eventually moved out of the house and began a relationship with another lady.

The divorce was difficult and as yet, the financial settlement was incomplete.

The prosecution claimed that he had received abusive telephone calls and that the defendant had been to his new address, resulting in police having to be called. On the afternoon of September 10 this year Mr Whitehead was playing bowls at the British Legion club when he saw her approaching. He carried on and was straightening up when he felt a blow to the back. On looking round he saw she had a knife in her hand.

Other people were said to have intervened. Mr Whitehead later had four stitches inserted into the two to three centimetre wound. Defence barrister Mr Fraser Livesey said the offence had been preceded by a remarkable series of events.

Outwardly the marriage had appeared extremely successful. According to the defendant, her husband suffered mood swings in the marriage and it was claimed that in September last year he assaulted her. The relationship ended in acrimony. Mr Livesey said: "On the date of the offence she received another letter from the husband's solicitor and snapped. She wanted rid of the whole thing. This was not a lady who was jealous of his present relationship."

"She took a knife intending to threaten Mr Whitehead. When she saw him he was in a game of bowls. Almost like Sir Francis Drake, when he saw her coming he carried on with the game. She snapped, lashing out with the knife. She had a dog on a lead with the other hand."

The court was also told that she still lived in Grimsargh and the community had dug deep to assist her. She suffered from ME.

"Her world turned upside down in September last year," added Mr Livesey. Judge Andrew Blake said it would not do the defendant or society any good to send her to prison.