Man sentenced to 16 years after knife attack on sisters in Barnsley

A man has been sentenced to 16 years in prison after attacking two Barnsley sisters.

David Fairweather only stopped punching, choking and stabbing his first victim when her older sister lay on top of her in an attempt to shield her from his blows.

The older sister was then stabbed three times herself and injured so badly she spent around 5 months in hospital.

The younger victim's young sons, aged eight and nine came downstairs to find their mum and auntie seriously injured. The boys raised the alarm and were able to give enough details for the emergency services to find the scene.

Fairweather, aged 44 years, formerly of Princess Street, Barnsley, admitted two counts of section 18 wounding following the horrific incident on 12 December 2021. He was handed a 16-year sentence at Sheffield Crown Court.

DS Becky Robinson, investigating, said:

"Even as experienced detectives, there are some cases which will stay on your mind for a very long time to come - and this is one of them.

"This horrendous ordeal was the stuff of nightmares. The two sisters, who had invited Fairweather over for a pre-Christmas drink, have been left with life-changing physical and psychological injuries, while the two little boys who watched their mum slip out of consciousness are also receiving ongoing support."

"It is believed that this is the point when the young boys came downstairs, finding their mum and aunt bleeding on the kitchen floor. Their mum was able to tell the boys to phone the police before she became unresponsive.

"Both boys were simply heroic. The nine-year-old boy told Fairweather he was phoning the police and to get out, which caused him to flee the address.

"On the phone, the boy told the ambulance call handler what had happened and described his mum and auntie as laying in pools of blood, not moving or talking. He told the call handler he was scared they were going to die. Despite the unimaginable situation, he was able to give enough detail for police and ambulance crews to attend the address quickly and both victims were rushed to hospital."

Fairweather was later found by police hiding in a nearby church yard.

The younger sister was discharged from hospital the day after the incident but has suffered significant psychological trauma ever since. Neither she nor her sons have been able to return home.

The older sister remained in hospital for almost five months after suffering injuries to her liver, lung, bowel and bladder. During that time she spent 15 days in a coma in intensive care. Both victims also have permanent scarring to their arms, legs and faces.

DS Robinson added:

"While nothing can heal their trauma, I am satisfied with today's sentence and the knowledge Fairweather will be exactly where he belongs for many, many years to come."