A woman almost killed her boyfriend when she plunged a knife into his neck because he had been cheating on her, a court heard.

The blade of the knife wielded by Marcia Francis penetrated Pasquale Mustoe’s neck by six to nine inches, leaving him in need of blood transfusions and other emergency treatment.

“Had he been left, he would be dead,” said prosecutor Danny Moore. “There is no doubt about that.”

The 33-year-old chef suffered a stroke following the “catastrophic” wounding to an artery at Francis’ flat in Ethelbert Terrace, Westgate.

Francis, a business development manager for a fencing company, denies attempted murder and an alternative charge of wounding with intent. She admits unlawful wounding.

Maidstone Crown Court heard the couple had been in a relationship for eight years and Francis had accused Mr Mustoe of infidelity on a number of occasions.

“In the lead-up to this event she accused him of a different kind of infidelity in the sense she suspected him of cheating on her not with another woman but with another man,” said Mr Moore.

“That seems to have been of some relevance to the background.”

Mr Mustoe told Francis he was going to Italy to see family but she suspected him of going somewhere else with a man called David, who she believed he was seeing sexually.

But Francis, who was “successful in life” and a caring mother, professed to still love Mr Mustoe despite his faults.

After Mr Mustoe, David and another man played poker at the flat on Sunday September 29, they left at 3am, leaving Francis alone. She then put Mr Mustoe’s bag of clothes out of a window.

Mr Moore told the jury of nine men and three women a row followed and there was “bubbling tension”.

They returned to the flat together. There was a suggestion he was accusing her of infidelity.

While in the living room Francis suddenly stabbed Mr Mustoe in the neck with a kitchen knife.

“He sustained a catastrophic and serious wound,” said Mr Moore. “He lost a huge amount of blood. He was effectively resuscitated by paramedics.”

Mr Mustoe remembered there was an argument and seeing a knife in Francis’ hand. He then recalled having a towel against his neck and her taking him by car to the QEQM Hospital in Margate.

“There is no doubt that having done what she did there was immediate regret,” said Mr Moore. “The intention can be formed in a flash.”

When he arrived at hospital he was losing blood at an alarming rate. He went into cardiac arrest. His life was saved by the skill of medical staff.

"Had he been left, he would be dead. There is no doubt about that" - prosecutor Danny Moore

Mr Moore said Francis at first claimed it was a prank that had gone wrong and she stabbed him while they were playing.

She also said Mr Mustoe had lots of women and she was sick of it. She added: “I was jealous and I stabbed him.”

After her arrest, she said: “What have I done? I didn’t mean to. I didn’t stab him, he just walked into it.”

Police found two knives at the flat which both contained blood and fatty tissue. One was 20cm long and the other 15cm long. The larger knife had blood staining 7cm up the blade and the smaller knife 4cm up the blade.

There was only one wound but an expert stated both knives could have caused it.

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