Man stabs ex-girlfriend 31 times in front of her son after finding condom wrapper

A man from Middlesbrough stabbed his ex-girlfriend 31 times in an attempt to murder her after he found a condom wrapper in her bathroom bin.

Christopher Blakemore, 33, showed up at the house of his former lover in Stockton County Durham unannounced on October 13, 2019, and started asking for money. According to a report in Teeside Live, the 6'6" man towering over his 5'4" ex-partner launched a frenzied attack on her with a chopping knife after finding the wrapper in her trash.

One stab wound was delivered with such force that it went straight through the victim's wrist. She ultimately dragged her seven-year-old son, who witnessed the attack while standing on the staircase of their home, and hid with him in the bathroom.

She called 999, after which paramedics rushed her to James Cook Hospital in Middlesbrough with 31 stab wounds and a collapsed lung. Thankfully, her major organs and arteries did not sustain any injuries during the horrifying attack, and she was able to give her statement to cops from her hospital bed soon after her surgery.

She told police that her ex-partner was attacking her with the intention to kill, as he repeatedly tried stabbing her in the neck. However, during the trial this week, her attacker insisted that he was not trying to kill her and instead she was the one who tried to stab him. He added that the victim sustained grievous injuries when he wrestled the knife from her hand.

Forensic scientist Nicola Taylor told the court that pools of blood found throughout the house belonged to the woman, and just small spots of blood were left from Blakemore where he had washed his injured hand.

The court was also told that he had sent abusive and paranoid messages to the victim, demanding to know about her love life. The messages revealed that he repeatedly insulted her and borrowed money from her as well.

The jury found Blakemore guilty after a 4-hour-long trial. Judge Jonathan Carroll remanded him into custody before his sentencing on February 25, while his psychiatric reports are being compiled to determine his jail term.