Jail for axe attack on woman in street

A woman has been jailed for a "sustained" axe attack on another woman in Hartlepool.

- Mark Payne

Demi Belcher chased after the victim and struck her a number of times with the weapon after a confrontation in the town's Wynyard Road.

Teesside Crown Court heard the incident started the day before when the victim's car was broken into and a pair of Hunter wellies were stolen.

The victim was told that Belcher was wearing them, and when she and her partner went shopping the next day, she saw Belcher's boyfriend Michael Hutchinson in the upstairs window of his flat and tried to catch his attention.

Belcher, 32, went down and began arguing with the couple when Hutchinson dropped a hand axe out of the window.