Isle mum tells of miracle stab survival on TV
Lauren Oliver’s ex-boyfriend Nicholas Leaning was jailed for 19 years for wounding with intent and 10 years for attempting to destroy the life of a child.
The masked 28-year old from Scunthorpe repeatedly knifed former partner Lauren Oliver, 25, in an attempt to conceal that he was the father of the unborn baby.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdLauren was 34 weeks pregnant when the attack took place in the doorway of her home in Ashtree Close, Belton, on June 11, 2014.
The stabbing led to an emergency caesarean and the premature birth of her now thriving little girl.
Young mum-of two Lauren revealed what she remembers of her trauma on ITV’s This Morning programme today, and told how she begged Leaning not to kill her and her baby as he lunged at her belly.
But she added: “He was smiling. He just looked at me then stabbed me again.”
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdAt first she thought she had just been thumped, said Lauren, and it wasn’t until she lifted her tee-shirt and saw a seeping deep wound that reality hit home. She suffered five stab wounds, and her daughter only survived because she was breech, she confirmed.
Looking healthy and serene, Lauren spoke of her relief that Leaning is behind bars. She said: “At least I know that when he does get out my kids will be adults, not vulnerable children.”
But she admitted she worries about her daughter learning the truth. “She may hear about it before I tell her. I don’t know how you tell a child her dad tried to kill her,” she confessed.
Now daughter Harper is a beautiful thriving baby and Lauren still wonders at the fact she was born without injury. “I couldn’t get in to my head that she was alright for ages, but when I did it felt brilliant,” she added.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdAfter the court case concluded, Detective Inspector Alan Curtis said: “This case was one of the most horrific I have experienced as a detective and the fact that both the mother and child survived the violent assault was down to huge good fortune.
“Leaning set out with the intention of destroying the unborn baby and he attacked in an almost animalistic fashion. His acts were extremely shocking and it is nothing short of a miracle that the baby was unharmed.”