A FATHER-of-two who repeatedly stabbed his wife with a knife just hours after appearing in court for an earlier attack on her has been sent to prison.Samantha Ahier was left unconscious outside the Kingsley House Hotel in London Road, Ipswich, after her husband, Gordon Ahier, kicked her in the head and stabbed her during an argument, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

A FATHER-of-two who repeatedly stabbed his wife with a knife just hours after appearing in court for an earlier attack on her has been sent to prison.

Samantha Ahier was left unconscious outside the Kingsley House Hotel in London Road, Ipswich, after her husband, Gordon Ahier, kicked her in the head and stabbed her during an argument, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

Ahier, 29, of no fixed address, admitted wounding his wife with intent and being in breach of a three-month suspended jail sentence imposed in July last year, for an earlier assault on his wife.

Sentencing Ahier yesterday, Judge John Devaux passed an indeterminate sentence for public protection and said the defendant should serve a minimum of 30 months.

Michael Crimp, prosecuting, said the defendant and his wife were married in December 2004 and had two children aged eight and two.

He said the couple had a tempestuous relationship which had resulted in the defendant being charged with assaulting his wife last June.

Although Mrs Ahier told police she did not want the case to go to court, the prosecution had continued and resulted in him being given a suspended prison sentence on July 26.

Later the same day the couple had started arguing and the defendant was seen by witnesses to repeatedly kick his wife outside the Kingsley House Hotel.

Paramedics who arrived at the scene found Mrs Ahier unconscious with a number of deep cuts on her body.

These included a six-centimetre cut on her wrist, a 10-centimetre cut on her thigh and cuts on her scalp and her arm, said Mr Crimp.

The defendant had left the scene of the attack and had telephoned the police to inform them that he had stabbed his wife.

He later told officers that he had lost his temper after his wife started headbutting a lamppost during an argument and told him that she was going to get him into trouble.

Miles Bennett, for Ahier, said his client was thoroughly ashamed of the injuries he had caused his wife and was not a danger to members of the general public.