An Oxford medical student “too bright” to be given a prison sentence has been allowed to walk free from court - despite the judge acknowledging that she broke her bail conditions.

Lavinia Woodward, 24, who stabbed her Cambridge University boyfriend in the leg with a bread knife, was spared jail yesterday as she was commended for her “strong and unwavering determination” to address her drug addiction.

As she left the courtroom, Woodward was seen mouthing the words “thank you” to the judge as she was ushered out of the dock in tears by her family.

The decision was last night criticised by criminal justice campaigners, who said that the lenient ruling would deter men who had fallen victim to domestic abuse from coming forward.