A man who tried to murder his wife in a “terrifying and frenzied” attack using a bow and arrow has been jailed for 20 years.
Stephen Carr took a compound bow he had previously used in target archery competitions to shoot metal-tipped arrows at his wife Lorna, before stabbing her six times with a kitchen knife while she was on the phone with emergency services, the court was told.
Cameras installed at the couple’s home in Strensall, North Yorkshire, to assist in the care of the defendant’s elderly mother recorded parts of the attack on the night of September 8 last year.
Carr and his wife got into an argument over the “concerns and stresses of caring for the defendant’s mother” who lived with them at the time, prosecutor Angus MacDonald said during the sentence hearing at Leeds Crown Court on Wednesday.
The 57-year-old denied intending to kill his wife and claimed he “blacked out”, but a jury convicted him of attempted murder following a trial at the same court last month.
Judge Simon Phillips, sentencing, told the defendant: “During the course of the trial, the jury heard, and to some extent saw, clear evidence that you were intent on killing your wife Lorna.
“You anger towards your wife increased that Sunday night. She tried unsuccessfully to calm you down.
“At 10.23 that night, without uttering a warning, you fired an arrow from your bow at your wife when she was standing outside by the kitchen door.”
The court was told the bow was a “heavy and powerful compound bow” which shot metal arrows at a speed of 270 feet per second, which “could cause serious injuries and even death” if used against a person.
Mrs Carr managed to dodge the arrow by closing the door, and the arrowhead lodged itself in it “a split second” after she had been in the doorway, the court heard.
She then told her husband: “You’re going to be done for murder”, to which he replied: “Yes”, the judge told the court.
Mrs Carr tried to stop the defendant from using the bow again by attempting to cut the strings with a kitchen knife.
“You threatened to ‘go mental’ if she did that,” Judge Phillips told the defendant.
“You had reloaded your bow and pointed it at her and she says: ‘Do you want murder and blood on your hands?’.”
The defendant then pursued Mrs Carr inside the house where she had sought refuge, struck her on the face with the bow, and said “You are dying tonight”, the court heard.
Mrs Carr then made a 999 call from the bedroom where the defendant cornered her.
“During the course of that call, you have aimed the bow at her to shoot her with it,” the judge said.
“You fired a second, then a third arrow at her as she crouched in the corner of the bedroom, cowering in fear at the side of the bed.”
The court heard the arrows missed Mrs Carr, but the defendant went on to stab her six times in the back with a kitchen knife whilst she was on the line with a 999 call operator.
She was recorded begging for her life and telling the call operator: “He’s got a bow, he’s got a compound bow… Don’t kill me Steve please. Do not kill me you c***. Please! Think of your mum”, a spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said.
Earlier in the night, a camera installed in the kitchen had recorded Carr taking a knife out of a drawer and staring at it, at which point the prosecution said he was contemplating murdering his wife.
“This was a terrifying, frenzied and sustained attack”, the judge said.
After the stabbing, Carr retreated to the garden shed on his property where police arrested him while Mrs Carr received medical care, the court heard.
She was taken to hospital for treatment to 10 wounds, including six to her upper back, as well as swelling and bruising to her forehead, shoulders and arms.
She was discharged three days later and has since made a full recovery, the court was told.
According to police, Carr sent a WhatsApp message to his wife after the assault in which he said: “I’m glad I didn’t do what I wanted to do. I did say you were pushing me to far (sic). My bag (sic) sorry.”
During the trial, Carr claimed he “blacked out” and does not recall stabbing his wife, adding that he felt she was “controlling him”, a spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said.
His defence lawyer, Gulam Ahmed, told the judge Carr had not displayed abusive or violent behaviour towards his wife prior to the attack, adding: “For a short period Mr Carr certainly lost it, and it is without the background of any abuse, without the background of any violence.
“This was out of character and a one-off.”
The court heard Carr was “heavily intoxicated” throughout the incident, having consumed at least a full one litre bottle of vodka that night, which the judge said he took into account as an aggravating factor.
He told the defendant: “I do not consider a life sentence necessary – but I find that the imposition of an extended sentence is necessary having regard to the circumstances in this case.”
Carr received a sentence of 17 years’ imprisonment with an extended licence of three years, bringing his total custodial sentence to 20 years.
Following the sentencing, Detective Chief Inspector Jonathan Sygrove from North Yorkshire Police said: “It’s hard to imagine the terror the victim felt being shot at with a bow and arrows, then set on with a knife by her own husband.
“This was also a harrowing incident for our officers and control room staff who responded to the 999 call, and their professionalism ensured Carr was promptly located and arrested before anything further could happen.”
He added: “Domestic violence takes many forms – the fact Carr has ultimately been jailed for attempted murder underlines just how serious incidents can be.”
