She later picked up another knife from the kitchen, Hull Crown Court heard
An aggressive woman reached “boiling point” shortly before a nasty confrontation with her ex-husband and, after suddenly turning up at his home without warning, she armed herself with a knife in each hand. Leanne Sugden angrily burst into the house and at first brandished a large bread knife but she later grabbed a second knife from the kitchen.
She stole her ex-husband’s wallet and he later discovered, when it was found, that £120 cash was missing from it, Hull Crown Court heard. Sugden, 41, of Elvaston Avenue, Hornsea, but recently in custody on remand, admitted threatening a person with a blade, breaching a non-molestation order and stealing a wallet on February 24.
Chloe Pinches, prosecuting, said that Sugden and her ex-husband were together for 14 years and, since June 2022, lived in Driffield. He applied for a non-molestation order and this was made at Hull Family Court on February 7.
She was banned from going to the Driffield address. He was at home with his daughter and son on February 24 when at 7.20pm, they heard the back door swing open, followed by a loud bang.
The ex-husband got up off the sofa and turned round to see Sugden charging into the living room holding a large bread knife. She shouted: “How we doing? How we doing?”
She pointed the knife towards him. “He asked her to put the knife down but she did not comply,” said Miss Pinches. The daughter also pleaded with Sugden to put the knife down.
Sugden took her coat off, walked back into the kitchen and picked up another knife – so that she was now holding a knife in each hand. The ex-husband ran towards the living room door, slammed it shut and used all his body weight on the handle to prevent Sugden from coming back in.
She banged on the door and shouted: “Let me in, let me in.” Because she could not get back in the living room, Sugden grabbed her coat and swiped her ex-husband’s wallet from the kitchen before leaving via the back door.
Police arrived and a neighbour told the man that he had found a wallet. The ex-husband confirmed that it was his. “When he looked inside, he noticed that money was missing to the value of £120,” said Miss Pinches.
Sugden had previous convictions for violence, including assault causing actual bodily harm and assault in 2023 and public disorder in 2005.
Rachel Scott, mitigating, said that Sugden suffered money problems after having to leave the family home when the couple split up. She was left with nothing after the end of what was a difficult relationship.
Sugden reached “boiling point” and she described her actions on the day of the offences as “horrendous” and something that she wished had never happened. She had been in custody on remand for about eight months and, while there, she had successfully done courses and been a “model prisoner”.
The probation service believed that her risk could be managed in the community. If she were jailed, she would remain in custody for such a short time that no work would be done with her.
Sugden was given 15 days’ rehabilitation and six months’ alcohol treatment. She was given a seven-year restraining order.
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