Judge offers to pay court fine of abuse victim who stabbed her abuser on his doorstep after he avoided jail

The girl 'snapped' in a moment of desperation after her life was destroyed by the abuse which started when she was eight

The girl was given a two year youth rehabilitation order (Betty Longbottom/Creative Commons)

A judge has offered to pay the court fine of a Bradford teenager who stabbed a paedophile on his doorstep after he avoided jail for abusing her when she was just eight-years-old.

Judge Jonathan Durham refused to impose a mandatory victim surcharge on the 15-year-old after he heard how she had “snapped” in a moment of despair after her abuser avoided jail.

He told the teenager: “If anyone tries to force you, I’ll pay it myself”, the Mirror reported.

The girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was given a two-year youth rehabilitation order after pleading guilty to a charge of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

Bradford Crown Court heard how the girl, then aged 14, had arrived on the man’s doorstep and stabbed in him in the upper abdomen saying: “I am going to kill you”.

She then went to the local police station and told them she had killed someone.

Heather Gilmore, prosecuting, said the knife had entered his chest wall and severed the artery on the right side of his heart.

He was only saved by the quick intervention of paramedics and surgeons.

During the police interview, the girl had described him as a “paedophile” and said she felt like her life had been destroyed by the abuse she suffered at his hands - starting when she was just eight.

She said she felt let down by the justice system after she gave evidence at his trial in 2009.

The man, who was 56 at the time of the attack, was found guilty but only given a community order with a supervision requirement, the Yorkshire Post reported.

Her defence barrister, Elyas Patel, said she had “snapped” in a moment of despair and desperation.

Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC said that it would be “callous and cruel” to give the girl a custodial sentence for the attack which happened at a house in the city last year.

He said: “There is no question of locking you up. That would be callous and cruel in the extreme.

“It is self evident that this offence was caused by, and solely relates to, the impact of the offending upon you when you were eight.

"It would be a disgrace to send a survivor like you to prison.

“I hope to be able to help you”.