A drug addict who stabbed his girlfriend eight times in the head, chest and face in a seemingly inexplicable attack has been jailed for five-and-a-half years.

Sentencing Jamel Fray yesterday, Puisne Justice Charles-Etta Simmons speculated the violence may have stemmed from a "drug-induced psychosis".

She suggested he should undergo psychiatric counselling in prison – but he refused her offer.

The judge had heard from Crown Counsel Brett Webber how Fray, 34, and victim, Kelli Denez Edwards, had been in an on-off relationship for five years.

Around 1.30 p.m on May 13 this year, the couple visited the home of a friend named Sandra Smith in Marsh Folly Road, Pembroke.

According to Ms Smith, nothing happened while they were there, and Fray asked her to walk with him afterwards to his bike which was parked up an alley.

"As the defendant rolled his motorcycle down the hill in the alley, the complainant (Ms Edwards)started to walk back up the steps to the residence," explained Mr. Webber.

"When the defendant called out to the complainant to come back to him, the complainant did not walk back to the defendant because he alighted his motorcycle and came at the complainant on the steps, grabbed her and started stabbing the complainant with a knife that had tools on it.

"The complainant started screaming and calling out for her friend Sandra, who eventually came running to assist the complainant."

Fray rode off, but turned himself in to Police around 10 p.m. that day.

Ms Edwards suffered multiple wounds to her face, arm, neck, upper back, shoulder and chest. She was taken to hospital, and initially required treatment in the Intensive Care Unit.

Mr. Webber said of the victim, who was 38 at the time of the attack: "The complainant was not able to defend herself as she was shocked and frightened. The defendant had no known cause to attack the complainant."

According to Mrs. Justice Simmons the complainant "suffers from residual injury".

Mr. Webber told the court that Fray admitted to Police that he wanted to kill Ms Edwards, due to a build-up of unspecified issues that were affecting him.

The court also heard how he has told the Police and defence lawyer Victoria Pearman that he "snapped" and that Ms Edwards tried to set him up.

Ms Pearman said yesterday that he continues to believe he has faced danger "because it has been wrongfully reported that he is supposed to have robbed a drug dealer".

Ms Pearman said it is unclear whether this is based in reality or is simply something in Fray's head.

He pleaded guilty to wounding Ms Edwards with intent to cause grievous bodily harm at an earlier court appearance, which prosecutors accepted. A more serious charge of attempted murder has been left to lie on file.

Detective Constable Carl Neblett told the court Fray has a string of previous convictions including assault, possessing ammunition, indecent assault, robbery and violently resisting arrest, but was "extremely co-operative during the entire investigation of this case".

Ms Pearman told the judge that Fray has a history of addiction, and that drug abuse was a feature of his relationship with Ms Edwards. She described the weapon used as a Swiss Army-style knife.

Mrs. Justice Simmons responded:"Lethal nonetheless. And he told the Police he tried to hide it from her so she didn't see it coming."

In response to further remarks from Ms Pearman that Fray had not appeared to act with premeditation, the judge remarked:"I'm not a doctor or a psychiatrist but when I read this file, it seemed something akin to a drug-induced psychosis...why would he think people were out to kill him?Why would he think that she had any part to play in that?Why in the Police interview did he say he was tired of her behaviour? I'm not sure even the defendant himself knows why he did it."

Invited to address the court, Fray said:"I'm sorry that it happened, but sorry doesn't change anything."

Ms Edwards did not attend the court hearing.

After meting out the jail term, Mrs. Justice Simmons said she would ask the Commissioner of Prisons to enrol Fray in group and individual therapy and educational programmes. However, he responded by stating:"I don't want no classes. Nothing like that there."

The judge said that while she could not order him to attend, successful completion of the courses could shorten his sentence.