A PROLIFIC offender who stabbed a “vulnerable” woman after accusing her of stealing his drugs has been jailed for seven years.

The woman, aged in her 50s, sustained lacerations to her arms during an attack at her home in Talbot Avenue, in Jaywick’s Brooklands estate, on September 26 last year.

Chelmsford Crown Court heard Keith Palfreman, 43, of Langham Drive, Clacton, visited Colchester with the victim and bought 200 Valium tablets before returning to her home.

He woke up to find the tablets missing and accused her of stealing them.

He told the victim she had “better find them” before returning later that day with a t-shirt wrapped around his face and a sword or machete sheath, which he used to “poke and threaten her”.

He struck her head and torso ten times before pushing her to the kitchen floor and headbutting and kicking her.

He then picked up a 5ins kitchen knife and threatened to “cut her open and kill her”.

He knelt over her and held the knife to her face, causing a small injury, before stabbing downwards three or four times.

She used her arms to defend herself, which led to her suffering the lacerations.

Palfreman left and was arrested the following day. He was later charged with causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

He denied the charge and was found guilty on September 23 following a trial.

Ronnie Bergenthal, mitigating, told the court the time of the offences was a particularly “turbulent” one for Palfreman due to a lack of stability with accommodation.

He added that while he was using cannabis he was not using Class A drugs at the time and that since being in prison he had engaged with a series of IT courses.

He added it was unclear whether a weapon was taken to the scene or whether it was just a sheath, although the court heard the victim thought there was a weapon contained within it.

In a victim personal statement, the woman said she is “scared to open her door” and that her anxiety “gone through the roof” with her being “suspicious of friends as a result of the incident”.

The court heard Palfreman has 45 previous convictions for 103 offences, including a 50-month sentence for robbing a Co-op store in 2016.

Sentencing Palfreman yesterday, Judge Timothy Walker said: “Whether it was a sheath only, or a sheath containing a weapon, is irrelevant.

“The assault was persistent. It commenced in the living room with one weapon and you then pushed her into the kitchen where you continued to threaten her before kneeling over her making further threats and then stabbing her several times with another weapon.

“There was also an element off revenge for the perceived theft of your drugs.

“But for her defensive actions her injuries could have been far more severe.”

He was jailed for seven years and must serve two-thirds of the sentence before being considered for parole. Once released, his licence period will be extended by three years.

He was also jailed for four months for assaulting an emergency worker, one month for criminal damage and one month for threatening behaviour, all to run concurrently.