WATCH: Dramatic arrest after Kirkby man tries to kill woman in vicious knife attack

Nottinghamshire Police’s swift action on the day helped save the woman’s life and put 61-year-old Ian Hensworth, from Kirkby, behind bars for 22 years.

Police Constables Paul Kingston and Chantelle McDowall were among the first officers to arrive at the scene of the vicious knife attack.

Recalling the incident, PC Kingston said: “The suspect was shouting and screaming as I helped a colleague to secure him in the police van.

“While securing the suspect I asked him ‘do you have anything on you that you shouldn’t have? He replied ‘it’s by the litter bins near the house’.

“Once he’d been secured I made my way to the back of the property and could see two females who were clearly distressed.

"One of them said ‘the knife’s there’ and pointed to wheelie bins next to the back door. I could see a knife between two wheelie bins.”

The weapon was recovered as officers and paramedics worked to get the 41-year-old victim to an ambulance while enquiries continued at the scene.

PC Kingston added: “This was an extremely violent attack which left the victim with severe life-threatening injuries. If not for the swift actions of her friends and the first officers to the scene it’s likely she would have died.

“She is lucky to have survived. She was left in a critical condition following this appalling attack but thankfully she made a full recovery.”

Hensworth was convicted of attempted murder following a two-day trial at Nottingham Crown Court in February and sentenced to 22 years in prison.

He must serve two thirds of his sentence before he is eligible to apply for parole.

The court heard that Hensworth, of Hartley Road, Kirkby, slashed the woman’s throat because she was ‘messing up his football’.

He believed he had killed her following the incident, on June 16, 2021, which came after an argument in his living room.

Hensworth and a group of friends were at his house to watch a football game in the midst of the Euro 2020 tournament.

Hensworth, who was outside, then began shouting about football and made his way back into the house. Without speaking, he then grabbed a craft knife and moved directly towards the victim before slashing her in the neck.

He then ran out of the house and moved into the alleyway a few doors down before sitting down. Police and medics were called and were quickly at the scene.

On arrest, Hensworth told police that that she had ‘messed up his football’ so he slashed her throat.

Tonight’s brand new episode of Police Interceptors also features determined officers hot on the heels of a runaway driver, the force’s city knife crime team swoop to arrest two suspected drug dealers and a cop is put through his paces as he chases down a teenager suspected of driving offences.

Catch all this and more at 8pm on Channel 5.