A man who stabbed his pregnant girlfriend has been sectioned indefinitely under the Mental Health Act.
Shahid Mahmood, 25, from The Parade, Northgate was sentenced at Lewes Crown Court. He pleaded guilty to wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm after stabbing Stacey Clarke.
Police and ambulance paramedics were called to Mahmood’s home on May 26 2012 just after midnight where they found the 23-year-old victim with stab wounds to her neck and upper body.
Paramedics administered emergency medical aid at the scene and following an initial assessment at East Surrey Hospital, she was transferred to St George’s Hospital in South London.
Stacey Clarke underwent surgery to her wounds and was taken to the intensive care unit where she was described at the time as conscious and stable.
The baby was not harmed and was born in August last year.
Mahmood handed himself into police shortly after the atack and the knife was found in bushes in nearby Shaws Road.
Mahmood was sectioned to a secure hospital under the Mental Health Act by Judge David Rennie on December 21. The order is indefinite and can only be lifted after consideration by the Secretary of State.
A charge of attempted murder was left to lay on the file.