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A violent yob is to be sent to an all-women's jail after a court heard she is to transition under gender reassignment treatment.

Stephanie Mottershead, 41, who was born as Stephen, was arrested after stabbing a man during a row over noise at an apartment block.

The blade punctured the liver of victim Liam Walsh and also injured his kidney and he was left with serious injuries.

He underwent three days of treatment in hospital and has since had 15 panic attacks and cannot return to the block of flats where the stabbing occurred.

At Minshull Street Crown Court, Manchester, Mottershead, from Stockport, appeared in the dock under the name ''Stephen aka Stephanie'' and was jailed for two years and four months after being convicted of unlawful wounding.

The defendant was referred to as a woman ''undergoing gender reassignment'' during the hearing and will serve the sentence at Styal women's prison near Knutsford, Cheshire.

Mottershead had served previous stretches in all-male prisons for offences including robbery, wounding and possession of an offensive weapons.

(Image: Cavendish Press (Manchester) Ltd) (Image: Cavendish Press (Manchester) Ltd)

The court heard the latest attack on August 11 last year occurred whilst Mottershead who was caring for her father whilst on bail for another offence of assault.

Prosecuting Duncan Wilcock said: "Mr Walsh had gone to a block of flats where his father lived on the fourth floor. They tried knocking on the door of a person on the second floor without success but the defendant heard the knocking and came upstairs and began making gestures at the complainant and his father.

"Liam Walsh went downstairs to leave on his motorbike but as he was leaving, he was told by another resident that he was being filmed and he turned around to see the defendant filming him.

"He then returned to speak to the defendant because he didn't want any further trouble for his father. He knocked on the door and the defendant armed herself with a kitchen knife.

"When she answered the door, she stabbed Liam Walsh once in the chest. Mr Walsh went upstairs and a friend rang the emergency services. The defendant also rang the police and when they arrived, she was arrested.

"Mr Walsh was taken to Manchester Royal Infirmary for treatment. The knife had pierced his skin, gone through his liver and to his kidney. Following treatment, he left the hospital three days later. He had three weeks off work with his injury although he says he was still not fit to go back then.

"Since that date he has had 15 panic attacks and he couldn't return to the block of flats while the defendant was still living there. He says the mental harm won't let him move on."

In mitigation for Mottershead who denied he charge, defence lawyer, Christopher Diamond said: ''Whether or not the perceived threat was real, the defendant herself genuinely believed that she and her father were in danger that day and she acted in what she believed to be self-defence.

"But her actions were disproportionate so I would invite your honour to see this as excessive self-defence. Although a weapon was used it was only a single blow.

She was very distressed when the police came and it was her who called them in the first place.

"Even though the injury was serious and, I am sure, extremely painful, fortunately it did not require any surgical intervention and he was discharged from hospital after three days on just antibiotics and bed rest."

(Image: Cavendish Press (Manchester) Ltd)

But sentencing, Judge John Potter said: He said: "You were in your father's flat and you became aware of a disturbance outside the flat. You went to the other flat and there was a confrontation between you and the other men.

"You took exception to words Liam Walsh used towards you and when Liam Walsh left the flat you filmed him. He became aware aware of this and came to your flat to confront you about it. You knew he was coming and you decided to arm yourself with a kitchen knife. When he came to the flat, there was a violent incident where you stabbed Liam Walsh while trying to remove him from the premises.

"This went well beyond any kind of self-defence. He then went to another flat where he knew that his father would be to get help.

"The injury that he suffered was serious and could have resulted in him losing his life. It went through his liver and through to his kidney and almost hit a main artery. It's quite clear that he still suffers from the injury inflicted by you."

The judge added: "This is regrettably not the first time you have been convicted of a violent offence. In 1994, you were convicted of robbery, in 1995 you were convicted of wounding somebody, in 2007 you convicted of possession of a weapon, and in 2012 you were convicted of the offence of battery.

"There are other offences which do not make matters worse, but making matters significantly worse is your conviction in September 2017 of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. You received for that a suspended sentence order of 45 months suspended for two years.

''I want to make it clear that conviction post dates the offence but you were on bail when you committed this offence. I appreciate that you are your father's carer and I appreciate it was a single blow that you inflicted on Liam Walsh.

"You are also undergoing gender re-assignment and I understand this will create difficulty for you while in custody. You have been in prison in the past but not whilst undergoing this procedure. But, I am of the view that this crime is serious and I can only give you immediate custody."