Oxford student Lavinia Woodward avoids jail for stabbing her ex-boyfriend Lavinia Woodward, 24, stabbed her then boyfriend in the leg after punching him and then threw a laptop, glass and jam jar at him.

Image: Lavinia Woodward, arriving at court, admitted the attack

An Oxford student said to be "too clever" to go to jail has been given a 10-month suspended prison sentence for stabbing her ex-boyfriend.

Lavinia Woodward, 24, who has aspirations to be a heart surgeon, attacked her then partner after a drinking binge at her university accommodation at Christ Church College, Oxford Crown Court heard.

Woodward, of Christ Church, St Aldate's, Oxford, had pleaded guilty to unlawfully wounding her partner at an earlier hearing.

Woodward stabbed her then boyfriend in the leg after punching him in the face and then threw a laptop, glass and jam jar at him during the attack on 30 September 2016, the court previously heard.

The court had also heard the student has already had articles published in medical journals and a prison term could have resulted in her being barred from working as a doctor.


Image: Woodward had no previous convictions

Last May, Judge Ian Pringle QC told Woodward she was unlikely to go to prison after he imposed a restraining order on her and delayed sentencing.

He told her at the time: "If this was a one-off, to prevent this extraordinarily able young lady from following her desire to enter the medical profession would be too severe."

On Monday Judge Pringle handed Woodward, who faced a maximum of three years in prison, a 10-month jail sentence, suspended for 18 months, and told her: "There are many mitigating features in your case.

"Principally, at the age of 24 you have no previous convictions of any nature whatsoever.

"Secondly, I find that you were genuinely remorseful following this event and, indeed, it was against your bail conditions, you contacted your partner to fully confess your guilt and your deep sorrow for what happened.

"Thirdly, whilst you are a clearly highly intelligent individual, you had an immaturity about you which was not commensurate for someone of your age."

Image: Woodward leaving court after sentencing

The judge continued: "Fourthly, as the reports from the experts make clear, you suffer from an emotionally unstable personality disorder, a severe eating disorder and alcohol drug dependence.

"Finally, and most significantly, you have demonstrated over the last nine months that you are determined to rid yourself of your alcohol and drug addiction and have undergone extensive treatment including counselling to address the many issues that you face.

"In particular, you have demonstrated to me since I adjourned this matter in May a strong and unwavering determination to do so despite the enormous pressure under which you were put and which has been referred to me by your counsel."

College dean the Very Rev Professor Martyn Percy said afterwards: "We are concerned for the welfare of all our students and it is clearly a matter of regret and sadness when any young person blights a promising career by committing a crime.

"Ms Woodward is not currently studying at Oxford, having voluntarily suspended her medical studies.

"The question of her future will now be decided by the university, which has procedures in place when a student is the subject of a criminal conviction."