An Adelaide mental health nurse who tried to murder his wife by repeatedly stabbing her in an "unprovoked, premeditated, brutal and cowardly" attack has been jailed for almost 10 years.
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George Alexander Freeman attacked Carron Wickens in December 2017 after she told him their seven-year marriage was over.
In the Supreme Court on Thursday, Justice Sam Doyle said the attack was motivated by Freeman's "festering anger" over the end of their relationship.
On the day of the incident, Freeman had waited until Ms Wickens' son had left the house and, using a knife he had bought five days earlier, cornered his wife in her bedroom.
She tried to defend herself as he stabbed her multiple times but could not fight him off.
In the midst of the attack, Ms Wickens thought she was going to die but told her husband she loved him as she pleaded with him to stop.
Freeman eventually relented and put clothing behind Ms Wickens' back, before he called her elderly father to tell him she had been stabbed and then called emergency services.
At one stage Freeman "somewhat bizarrely" returned to the bedroom and dragged the knife through his wife's hand again, slicing it as he did, Justice Doyle said.
"I accept the prosecution's submission that your conduct involved an unprovoked, premeditated, brutal and cowardly attack on Ms Wickens in her own home, a place where she had a right to feel safe," the judge said.
Ms Wickens sustained serious injuries to her lungs, arms, hands, shoulders and back.
Outside court, the 57-year-old said no sentence would right the wrong inflicted on her by her husband.
She said she owed her life to the emergency service workers and the surgical teams at the Royal Adelaide Hospital "who put me back together".
She also urged anyone trapped in an abusive relationship to "value your worth".
"Recognise the signs of abuse, seek help and plan your escape silently to protect the safety of yourself and your loved ones," Ms Wickens said.
"While I live the memory of the violent attack from someone I loved and trusted ... I am focused on healing and moving forward with my life."
Justice Doyle jailed Freeman for nine years and 10 months and set a non-parole period of five years and six months, the head sentence discounted because of his guilty plea to the attempted murder charge.
The judge said the lower non-parole period reflected the 61-year-old's personal circumstances including his worsening Parkinson's disease.
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Australian Associated Press