Police say jilted Gosport husband’s “level of violence” was “truly shocking” after he calmly stabbed wife in heart

After being told there was no way back in their relationship Raymond Mclaren, 63, calmly walked into the kitchen of the couple’s home in the quiet suburban road of Little Green on Boxing Day last year and picked up a knife around 8.30pm, as previously reported.

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Fearing he was going to kill himself, Mclaren’s wife pleaded with him not to use the knife, telling her husband he would not see his children and grandchildren. But Mclaren “chillingly” and “calmly” turned to the woman he had been in a relationship with since 1994 and said: "It’s not me who’s not going to see them.”

Realising she was the target of Mclaren’s intended violence the woman started screaming as her estranged husband, who she was still living with, came at her. “You pushed her and blocked her and struck her once in the arm and once in the left breast before she fled,” judge, Recorder Tom Brown, told Portsmouth Crown Court last week.

When police had stormed the couple’s home and found Mclaren calmly sat in the dining room. He told officers: “I’ve done the crime, I’ll do the time.”

Recorder Brown added: "No doubt these were truly life threatening injuries. I worry if she had collapsed before help could be summoned.”

A 1cm laceration to the right heart ventricle was found and repaired by doctors – saving her life. The woman remained in intensive care before being discharged on January 3. Doctors and emergency crews were praised for saving her life.

Mclaren admitted grievous bodily harm and was jailed for seven years.

Now police have responded to the sentence. DC Katie Reynolds said: “Domestic abuse is one of the worst types of offending we encounter as police officers, and the level of violence inflicted by Mclaren on his own wife was truly shocking.

“No one should ever be made to suffer in this way, not least in their own home. The victim in this case has shown incredible strength in supporting the police investigation. We know that domestic violence can be incredibly difficult for people to report or come to terms with.

“I hope that the outcome of this case encourages other people out there who are suffering domestic violence to make that brave step to report this to someone. Tackling perpetrators of domestic abuse is an absolute priority for us, and we will do everything in our power to bring abusers to justice and protect vulnerable people.

“We want victims of domestic abuse to find the courage to tell police about this often un-reported type of offending. However, we appreciate not everyone wants to speak to the police in the first instance.”

For more information about how you can seek independent help from a dedicated domestic abuse support service, and the ways in which you can report domestic abuse, visit: www.hampshire.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/daa/domestic-abuse/

In the event of an emergency or if someone is in danger, dial 999.