A GIRL aged only 14 is starting two years detention for stabbing a man with such "ferocity" that he was taken to hospital with the blade still in his stomach.

Judge James Stewart QC, at Leeds Crown Court, told the York teenager her crime was so grave she would have faced a much longer spell in custody had she been an adult.

As the girl left the court sobbing, she told her tearful family: "I love you."

The teenager, whose victim David Burns "came within inches of losing his life", was sentenced after pleading guilty to wounding him with intent to cause him grievous bodily harm. She had denied a charge of attempted murder, which was dropped.

David Bradshaw, prosecuting, said the attack in Stuart Road, Acomb, on April 15, followed an argument between the girl - who cannot be named for legal reasons - and Mr Burns, a mechanic.

Mr Bradshaw said it had been alleged that Mr Burns, 19, had grabbed the girl by her throat - a claim he denied. He said that when she told her parents, they had words with Mr Burns who "obviously felt aggrieved" because he smashed a car window and became involved in "a tussle" with its owner.

"For some reason, this defendant chose to arm herself with a knife and simply stabbed him in the stomach with such ferocity the handle broke off. He was left with the knife sticking out of his stomach. It had to be removed by an operation."

Mr Burns's mother filed a victim impact statement in July on her son's behalf, saying he had an "horrendous scar", had been off work, suffered nightmares and was on medication.

But Geraldine Kelly, mitigating, said the handle came off because it was loose - not because of the force used.

Her client knew her actions were wrong and was sorry, she said.

"There are two sides. She had injuries herself. There were others around, deemed to be adult and responsible, who weren't in a condition to prevent this happening."

Miss Kelly said she understood Mr Burns had since returned to work.

Judge Stewart accepted this was an isolated assault, and that the girl did not pose a serious public risk.

But he said: "Mr Burns nearly came within inches of losing his life. He was taken to hospital with a blade sticking out of his gut. This is the most serious offence of wounding with intent I have had to consider. But you were only 13 (at the time), there were adults around you who should have known better and controlled you, and there was a degree of provocation by the complainant. It seems at some stage you were seized by the throat."

Updated: 09:53 Tuesday, August 23, 2005