A 26-YEAR-OLD man who knifed his ex-lover three times, leaving her fighting for her life in hospital, is today behind bars.

Benjamin Thompson was today cleared by a jury at Oxford Crown Court of attempting to murder his former partner Harriet de Raeve, 22, but convicted on a lesser charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

The trial heard Ms de Raeve was knifed in the shoulder, stomach and chest by Thompson in the house they shared in Hurst Street, east Oxford, in April.

Justice John Saunders remanded Thompson ahead of sentencing next month.

Ms de Raeve declined to comment following the verdict, but her father James de Raeve said: “This has been a harrowing time for our daughter Harriet and the whole family.

“Our daughter’s stabbing was just the last step in a steadily deteriorating abusive relationship.

“If reading this causes someone to seek help, then perhaps some good will come from a dreadful experience.”