A WOMAN assaulted her partner and lunged at him with a knife as she turned violent after day-time drinking.

Kirsty Maria Graham’s offending occurred after she and boyfriend Nathan Shepherd went out for lunch on May 1.

Mark Kellet, prosecuting, told Carlisle Crown Court: “He describes how it was a good relationship, but says her character changes when she drinks.”

Graham, of Potts Terrace, Great Broughton, drank lager initially but, after returning home, she switched to vodka.

After leaving the address, the couple argued. However, back at the house later on, things calmed down; the court was told they started to get on, having “a laugh and a joke”.

Then another row began. “At this stage the argument turned to violence,” Mr Kellet said.

Graham assaulted Mr Shepherd, pinning him to a bed and pulling his jacket over his head before delivering repeated blows.

Outside the house, she then swung a metal mug tree at him, “connecting on the third occasion”.

After going into the house to get his jacket, he returned to his car.

“The defendant followed him out of the house with a knife with a four-inch blade.

“She said ‘I’ll sicken you, you’re not going anywhere’. At that stage she lunged at him with the knife.

“She didn’t make contact,” said Mr Kellet.

After she stabbed a rear tyre of his vehicle, Mr Shepherd called police.

Mr Shepherd later said: “She just needs help.

“She just needs to know what she did was wrong.”

Graham, 32, admitted assaulting Mr Shepherd, threatening him with a knife and criminal damage.

Brendan Burke, defending, said the case had “acted as a prompt for her to start putting her life in order”.

“She hasn’t had a drink for six weeks, which is an enormous step for her,” he said.

Judge James Adkin said he needed more medical evidence about Graham before he could pass sentence.

He adjourned the case until July 5.

“The current inclination is prison,” Judge Adking warned Graham.

“But there may just be a chink of light at the end of the tunnel in terms of your problems.”

She was released on bail prior to sentencing.