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An Oxford University student deemed "too clever to go to prison" by a judge has been denied permission to appeal against her sentence.

Lavinia Woodward, 24, was handed a suspended 10 month jail sentence for stabbing her boyfriend while drunk and on drugs.

The aspiring heart surgeon had admitted knifing Thomas Fairclough in the leg with a bread knife as well as throwing a glass, a jam jar and a laptop at him at Christ Church College in 2016.

She tried to take her case to the Court of Appeal but had her application rejected.

However she can still apply to have her case heard by a full court of two or three judges.

During the trial in 2016, Judge Ian Pringle QC said a jail sentence may be too severe as it could ruin her medical career.

He added that the actions of the “extraordinary able young lady” appeared to be a “complete one off.”

Judge Pringle added: “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."

There was an outcry at the time of her sentencing and questioning on the fairness of the criminal justice system.

The 24-year-old has suspended her studies at Oxford until the end of her sentence.