James McKenna waited in the bushes of Carmarthen Park on a freezing January afternoon, clutching the sharpest kitchen knife he owned. He was waiting for his ex-partner. When Joanne Sidaway walked past with her dog, he pounced.
The 58-year-old launched a furious attack, stabbing his 49-year-old former partner 11 times. He then fled into the woods, sparking a massive four-day manhunt. On Friday, McKenna was jailed for 24 years for the attempted murder.
Saved by a Winter Coat
The court heard that Sidaway survived by sheer luck. Because of the bitter winter cold, she was wearing five layers of clothing under a thick coat. That heavy padding saved her vital organs from the blade. Even so, the attack was brutal. Forensic evidence showed 17 separate tears in her coat, with multiple stab wounds to her chest, arm, and hand.
The violence ended only when a neighbor intervened. Susan Edwards told Swansea Crown Court she heard high-pitched screaming and saw the bushes shaking. When she shouted out, McKenna panicked and ran. Bleeding heavily, Sidaway managed to call an ambulance. “I’ve been stabbed by my ex-partner,” she told the operator. “He’s been stalking me.”
A Frostbitten Escape
McKenna’s escape was desperate. He dumped his backpack and the knife at a nearby allotment, stopping briefly to eat a yogurt. He then walked three miles north along the River Gwili to the village of Bronwydd. There, he hid in a secluded patch of woodland for three nights without food or water.
The freezing weather eventually cut his flight short. Suffering from severe frostbite, McKenna traveled by taxi and bus to Bronglais Hospital in Aberystwyth. Police arrested him there while he was receiving treatment.
‘Cold and Calculated’
During his trial, McKenna claimed he never intended to kill Sidaway, only to cause her “serious harm” because she refused to talk to him. He admitted to bringing the newest, sharpest knife from his kitchen specifically for the attack. A jury rejected his excuses and found him guilty of attempted murder.
Sentencing McKenna, Judge Paul Thomas KC described the attack as “wholly calculated.” He noted that McKenna had stalked his victim twice that day before launching the assault. “You stabbed her no fewer than 11 times,” the judge said. “But after you did that, you left her to die.”
The prosecution revealed that McKenna had a history of domestic violence, including a 2016 conviction for assaulting another former partner. Defense barrister Caroline Rees KC argued that McKenna felt genuine remorse, highlighting a letter of apology he had written. But the judge ruled his actions showed a dangerous pattern of refusing to accept the end of relationships.
Following the sentencing, Lucy Mansfield of the Crown Prosecution Service condemned the “shocking act of violence.” Sara Kirkpatrick, chief executive of Welsh Women’s Aid, warned that post-separation abuse remains a widespread danger. She praised the sentence, noting that McKenna had deliberately planned the attack to target his victim when she was alone.