GORSE HILL woman Lisa Barton "freaked out" before stabbing her asylum-seeking former partner several times with a knife, a court heard.

One of his injuries, following their row, in which she told police he manhand-led her and held her captive, left the victim with a cut in his leg right down to the bone.

Bespectacled Barton, 35, of Osborne Street, was due to face a charge of attempted murder but pleaded guilty to malicious wounding, which was accepted by the Crown at Bristol Crown Court yesterday.

Sentencing her to a two year community rehabilit-ation order, the Recorder of Bristol, Tom Crowther QC, told her: "I am satisfied that you were provoked during the relationship and that he had behaved in a way that would make what you did understandable to some, perhaps to many."

Ian Halliday, prosecuting, told the court that Barton had a history of alcoholism and depression and, at the time of the offence, was taking numerous medic-ations.

He said that she had had a volatile relationship with a 29-year-old asylum seeker, known as Paul, which had come to an end.

But the Crown heard that the two met again by accident at Yates' Wine Bar in Swin-don and although Barton's friends tried to take a butterfly knife from her, she bickered with her former boyfriend before leaving with him.

Mr Halliday said: "At 3.20am on October 7 police were called to Graham Street, where they found a man in a ground floor bedroom.

"He had a two inch gash in his right thigh, was bleeding profusely and had tissue poking out of the wound."

Mr Halliday told the court the victim also had superficial cuts in his abdomen and back.

Barton was found in Fleming Way shouting: "Help me, I've done something," said Mr Halliday.

Defending, Sir Nigel Pascoe QC told the court that there had been violence in the relationship but his client accepted responsibility for the attack and regretted causing the injuries.

"At the time of the offence, she was drinking a great deal and almost certainly was an alcoholic," he said.

Sir Nigel added that she had had multiple traumas in her childhood as well as her adult life, and at times she had been profoundly dep-ressed.

The court heard that Barton had no previous convictions or cautions.