Woman, 54, who was stabbed 29 times and left to die by her ex-soldier lover insists she is a ‘survivor, not a victim’
- WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT
- Steven Wood, 54, locked Tina Turner in their house and left her in a pool of blood
- He was jailed at Newcastle Crown Court for life with a minimum term of 12 years
- Ms Turner, 54, from Gateshead, decided to share her story of domestic violence
A woman who was stabbed 29 times by her partner and left to die has said ‘I am not a victim, I am a survivor’.
Steven Wood, 54, locked Tina Turner in their house and left her in a pool of blood – and she still had a knife embedded in her chest when she was eventually taken to hospital.
He was jailed at Newcastle Crown Court for life with a minimum term of 12 years on Friday, Northumbria Police said.
Following the sentencing for attempted murder, Ms Turner, 54, from Gateshead, decided to share her story of domestic violence and to tell others that there is no shame in seeking help.
She said: ‘I was so besotted and so much in love with Steven. We had been living together over a year and had planned the rest of our lives together.
‘I now have to live with the knowledge that the man I loved and tried to help, that I believed was a charming, empathetic and in his words “a soulmate” could turn into a monster and attack me.
Steven Wood (left), 54, locked Tina Turner (right) in their house and left her in a pool of blood – and she still had a knife embedded in her chest when she was eventually taken to hospital
Ms Turner, 54, from Gateshead, decided to share her story of domestic violence and to tell others that there is no shame in seeking help
‘As I begged for my life, as I told him we could talk about anything, he told me “no, I have to finish you off because I am not going to prison for you”.
‘That sentence stays with me, I hear it every day in my head. I think it will stay with me the rest of my life.
‘I feel so naive, stupid, so manipulated.’
The pair had been together for two years and lived together for a year in Gateshead before the attack.
She believed he manipulated her caring nature and she ignored warning signs in their relationship.
He told her that a previous partner had left him while he was at work and cleared their house.
Ms Turner said: ‘I wonder now if she left because she was terrified of him.’
He also told her another partner had fallen down the stairs during an argument, but the police would later tell her he had in fact pushed her down the stairs with a pole.
WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT Ms Turner had 29 wounds from two knives across her body. One of the stab wounds was inflicted with such force it fractured ribs and caused bone to become lodged in her lung, where it has remained
As he tried to kill Ms Turner in the kitchen of her home the soldier told her: ‘I have to finish you off because I’m not going to prison.’ He then drove to the Redheugh Bridge in Newcastle and jumped into the River Tyne in an attempt to take his own life but was rescued by a police boat (pictured)
After Wood was jailed, Ms Turner was determined to make sure other women heard about her experience and knew it was okay to seek help and support.
She said: ‘I now realise how miraculous it is I survived my injuries, as some people die from one stab wound and I had 29.
‘Steven had every opportunity to ring an ambulance however, instead he left me to die with a knife embedded in my chest in a pool of my own blood and was clear headed enough to lock the doors to prevent anyone from helping me.
‘I used to blame myself but therapy has helped me get me where I am now. I have good and bad days but I know how to survive.
‘I am not a victim, I am a survivor.’
Northumbria Police urged anyone affected by domestic violence or who had concerns to contact the Tell Us Something page on its website.
It also said anyone with concerns about a partner or a loved one who might be at risk of abuse to apply to use Clare’s Law – a free and confidential information check on someone’s criminal record.
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