A WIFE whose drug crazed husband held her hostage in their Chippenham home for five hours and seriously wounded her sister has spoken about her ordeal for the first time.

Last week Stephen Edwards, 37, was jailed for life after a judge at Bristol Crown Court labelled him a dangerous man and a menace to society.

This week Edwards' wife Anita, 43, and her sister Julie Tuck spoke of the aftermath of the terrible evening which turned carnival night in Chippenham into a scene like a TV police thriller as Woodlands Road was taken over by armed police.

Edwards had hidden in the house he used to share with hs wife before their separation. The sisters had returned to the house when Edwards emerged from a cupboard with a knife, attacking 39-year-old Mrs Tuck.

She suffered 31 stab wounds, but managed to crawl bleeding to the home of a neighbour in order to alert police.

Mrs Edwards was then held hostage by her husband, who told police he had a gun and would blow their heads off.

The two sisters have now set up home together in Swindon, along with Mrs Edwards' two teenage sons.

Both have pleaded with other women who are victims of domestic violence not to suffer in silence."I would like to advise people suffering domestic violence that they can seek help and should do something about it," said Mrs Edwards.

"They should not suffer in silence, because there are people who will help ."

Her sister Julie said: "Despite what happened to me I have no regrets about helping my sister.

"If I had not helped Anita and if she had not had the courage to leave him then the situation could have been even worse, and her suffering still going on.

"I would also like to thank the paramedics, without whom I would not be here today," said Mrs Tuck.

Mrs Edwards, a full time parent, is struggling to some to terms with the emotional fall-out from her ordeal.

Mrs Tuck, a nursery nurse, has not yet made a full recovery from the appalling wounds she suffered.

The court heard how Edwards grabbed her, stabbing her with a knife in the legs, chest and abdomen between 24 and 31 times. She was rushed to hospital with a collapsed lung and a punctured liver.

She has not yet regained full use of her left arm and has lost 50 per cent of her lung capacity.

She has also not been able to return to work.

"Hopefully now the court case is behind them they will be able to start to rebuild their lives," said Detective Inspector Paul Granger, the senior investigating officer in the case.

"From a police point of view it is nice to get Edwards locked away because he is a dangerous man."

Mr and Mrs Edwards were married three years ago, having met through a family member. They first lived in Swindon before moving to Chippenham a few months before the siege.

The marriage had been showing signs of strain and the move was intended to mark a fresh start in their relationship.

The siege was caused when Edwards went on a two-day cocaine and alcohol binge after Mrs Edwards left him and went to live with her sister.

On the day of the siege she had gone back to the Chippenham house to retrieve her pet cats.

Luckily her sons did not accompany her, staying in Swindon with friends instead.

"Mrs Edwards did not suffer physical abuse as much as emotional abuse," said DI Granger.

"There were incidents before this, but nothing that would have led her to believe that this incident would happen."

DI Granger said he did not think Mrs Edwards would be standing by her husband now and didn't think she would visit him in prison.

"The judge was very sensitive to the sisters' needs during the court case," he said.

"During the presentation of the prosecution case and defence they were reliving the moments of the siege," he said.

DI Granger reported that Mrs Edwards believed the life sentence was a just response to the crime.

"The judge said he would have chosen a life sentence even without taking into account Edwards' previous conviction for a similar attack on his previous wife," said DI Granger.

He said a five year minimum was recommended before parole could even be considered.

"Edwards is a dangerous man who seems to want to be in control. If he loses control of a situation, he is then in danger of doing something rash," he said.

Mrs Edwards, her sister and children have met with family liaison officers to help them through the difficult times following the siege.