A SERIAL knife offender from High Valleyfield narrowly avoided a custodial sentence after assaulting and threatening to kill a woman after an argument.

Debbie Harper brandished a kitchen knife at a friend after she accused Harper’s partner of cheating.

The 33-year-old, of Kinloss Court, High Valleyfield, admitted that on February 27 at High Street, Cowdenbeath, she assaulted the complainer and repeatedly kicked her on the head, shouted, swore, uttered threats of violence towards her and brandished a knife at her to her injury.

She also admitted to, while on bail, failing to appear at Dunfermline Sheriff Court on September 27 without reasonable excuse.

Depute fiscal Dev Kapadia told Dunfermline Sheriff Court that Harper had appeared in court before for previous knife offences and on this occasion she had become physically violent after the argument.

He said: “She kicked the complainer to the head on the left-hand side of her temple and once to the right cheekbone. The complainer was aware that blood was running down from her head. The accused followed her to the kitchen where she took out a sharp kitchen knife.

“She said: ‘I’ll f****** stab you and I’ll f****** kill you. She stabbed the knife into the door and a wall. Police were then contacted.”

The complainer suffered a two-centimetre cut to the left side of her head and bruising and swelling to her right eye.

Mr Kapadia added that Harper had said to police officers who attended the address that the injuries were a result of the complainer falling in the kitchen.

Defence solicitor Elaine Buist told the court her client was going through a “difficult period” due to family reasons and asked that she was given a second chance after moving on from an abusive relationship and finding work and her own tenancy.

Sheriff Charles Macnair said: “How often does she get the chance to do that? This is now another offence with a knife, which now includes kicking someone in the head and threatening them with a knife.”

Miss Buist asked for the court to consider deferring sentence for further reports, which he refused.

He said: “I’ve told you, it’s too serious. I have to consider an immediate custodial sentence.”

Speaking to Harper, he said: “You have a bad record with violence, in particular with a knife. In this offence, you kicked the complainer twice on the head and threatened with a knife. It cannot be treated as an idle threat. You have had two previous community payback orders and you continued to offend.

“I’m just prepared to give you one final chance. If you fail to comply with the orders to the letter, you will be sent to prison.”

He imposed a community payback order with three years’ supervision with 280 hours of unpaid work, a compensation order of £500 to be paid within 10 months and a restriction of liberty order of 170 days as a direct alternative to custody.

He also imposed a further RLO to run concurrently for 60 days for failure to appear.