Harlow: Woman jailed for 8 years after stabbing

A woman convicted of stabbing a man during an event at a home in Harlow has been jailed for eight years.

26-year-old Cayleigh Reid had attended a social event in Torkildsen Way on the evening of Saturday 25 June 2022.

In the early hours of the following morning, she became involved in an argument.

During that exchange, which involved about five other people becoming aggressive, Reid told members of the group she intended to arm herself and stab the victim, a man aged in his 40s.

Moments later, she stabbed the man with a metal barbeque skewer which she had found in a kitchen drawer. The victim sustained life-threatening injuries as a result Reid’s actions.

He survived the incident only after emergency surgery but now lives with the serious and long-lasting impact of the incident.

Emergency services were called to the incident and Reid was arrested close to the Torkildsen Way address.

Reid, 26, of Windsor Road, Slough, was interviewed and subsequently charged with attempted murder and GBH with intent.

She denied the charges.

Following a trial at Chelmsford Crown Court, she was found not guilty of attempted murder but was convicted of GBH with intent.

She was also found not guilty of attempted GBH in connection with an alleged assault on the man’s wife.

She was sentenced at the same court on Monday (2 October). 

Detective Inspector James Holmes, of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said:

“The victim continues to live with the long-term consequences of Reid’s actions that night. It is no exaggeration to say this incident could very easily have become a homicide investigation.
“And it is only through the timely work of surgeons that this did not happen.
“I know Reid’s sentence will not alleviate any of the long-term impact of the incident, but I hope it will be of some comfort to him and to his family that we have been able to secure justice and Reid will face an appropriate time in prison as punishment for her actions.”

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