A LOWESTOFT man who chased after his girlfriend armed with a kitchen knife and stabbed her four times in the stomach has been jailed for six years.Sadek Chowdhury, 38, ran off after the attack in November last year, leaving his 47-year-old partner Julie Woolnough bleeding heavily outside their home, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

A LOWESTOFT man who chased after his girlfriend armed with a kitchen knife and stabbed her four times in the stomach has been jailed for six years.

Sadek Chowdhury, 38, ran off after the attack in November last year, leaving his 47-year-old partner Julie Woolnough bleeding heavily outside their home, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

Jailing Chowdhury, Judge John Devaux said he had chased after Ms Woolnough armed with the knife after she escaped from the house in Cambridge Road, Lowestoft, through a downstairs window.

Ms Woolnough desperately tried to stop Chowdhury coming after her by slamming the sash window down on him, but he managed to get out and chase after her.

She later underwent surgery and spent eight days in hospital, including some time in intensive care, but later told police she did not now know why Chowdhury had stabbed her.

Judge Devaux said an aggravating feature of the case was that Ms Woolnough's four-year-old grandson had seen the aftermath of the attack.

Chowdhury, of Cambridge Road, Lowestoft, admitted wounding Ms Woolnough with intent to cause her grievous bodily harm.

The court heard he was in the UK illegally and would be deported back to Bangladesh after serving his sentence.

David Wilson, prosecuting, said Ms Woolnough had been in a relationship with Chowdhury for 12 months before the attack on November 19 last year.

On the evening in question, there had been an argument with Ms Woolnough's daughter's boyfriend after she told him to stop making so much noise. He had entered the bedroom

shared by Ms Woolnough and Chowdhury and Ms Woolnough had taken hold of his jacket and tried to push him out of the

room.

Ms Woolnough had gone downstairs and finding the front door and back door to the house locked, climbed out of downstairs window and was followed outside by Chowdhury who had picked up a kitchen knife.

Andrew Thompson for Chowdhury said his client and Ms Woolnough had been in a loving relationship and had not been violent towards her in the past.

He said the initial trouble had involved Ms Woolnough's daughter's boyfriend and it wasn't clear why the situation had escalated.