A New Forest woman who was violently abused by her husband plunged a kitchen knife into his back, a court heard.

Geraldine Batt was spared a custodial sentence after a Hampshire judge said it was not in the public interest to jail her.

He had been told how Batt's domineering husband John had abused her and police had been called to their home on three previous occasions.

The late-night stabbing happened after the pair had been drinking heavily at their New Forest B&B and she told him that a guest had flirted with her.

He became aggressive and guests heard him shout: "If you don't come back, I'll drag you back." The row went on for a few minutes before it went quiet.

Helen Field, prosecuting at Southampton Crown Court, said police responding to an abandoned 999 call were met at the door by Batt, who said everything was fine.

She denied making the call and they didn't need to be there.

But police made a check and returned to the premises where they saw the couple standing in their hallway and blood on the back of Mr Batt's shirt.

The court heard Mr Batt had suffered a punctured lung in the attack in the kitchen and had air trapped.

A doctor carried out emergency treatment by inserting a needle into a lung cavity which released the air and saved his life.

He was taken to hospital where the following morning he was found to have lost two and a half litres of blood in internal bleeding from a pierced artery.

Mr Batt was detained in hospital for about two weeks and the court heard he had not made a complaint against his wife.

When questioned by the police, Batt said: "As soon as I realised what I had done, I couldn't believe it and I was just absolutely horrified."

She saw blood on his back and tried to stop the bleeding. She said she had been angry and wound up.

Batt, 32, of Southampton Road, Lymington, had pleaded guilty to wounding at an earlier hearing when sentence was adjourned for reports.

Imposing a two-year community rehabilitation order, Judge Christopher Leigh QC said it was clear this had not been not the first time Mr Batt had been violent towards his wife.

He was also satisfied that Mr Batt had caused her to suffer another bout of bulemia and that he had been abusive and domineering.

He said: "In my judgement this was a one-off incident in unusual circumstances unlikely to be repeated. In these circumstances I don't think it would be in the public interest or do you any good by sending you to prison."

The court heard that since the incident Batt - who was of previous good character - had obtained a county court injunction preventing her husband from approaching her.