A man who thrust a kitchen knife deep into his wife's body in Watford has been awarded £17,750 for injuring his hand in the attack.

Dorinel Cojanu stabbed his ex-wife Daniela, who survived the incident, in the kitchen of their former home in Garston on June 16, 2015.

The brown-handled kitchen knife, with an eight inch blade, went down through Daniela's right breast, passed through two ribs, through a lung and into her liver.

After she ran screaming from the house, a neighbour called an ambulance and she was rushed to St Mary's Hospital in Paddington.

Read more - Man who stabbed wife sentenced to 11 years for attempted murder

Romanian Cojanu pleaded not guilty to attempted murder, but was convicted by the jury at St Albans Crown Court.

He was admitted to Bedford Prison the day after the attack on June 17 with deep cuts to his right ring and little finger.

They required immediate surgery and he was initially scheduled for it at the Royal Free Hospital.

But this was cancelled over security concerns and another appointment was arranged at Lister hospital in Stevenage, but the referral letter was delayed as it was not marked as a priority.

This meant surgery was “no longer feasible” after the ten-day window had passed.

It was also revealed that Cojanu was offered surgery in February 2016 but he never took up the offer.

The 36-year-old - who was deported to Romania in 2020 - asserted a personal injury claim against the NHS based on “clinical negligence” whilst behind bars.

At a hearing in May 2021 at Norwich County Court Cojanu was awarded £8,500 by judge Mr Recorder Gibbons, with most of his claim rejected on the grounds that he was found to be dishonest over how he ascertained his injuries.

But the decision was appealed by lawyers and this week Mr Justice Ritchie ruled that the figure will be raised to £17,750, saying that being dishonest was not "relevant directly to his evidence in the civil claim".

He added: "It matters not whether he had suffered the injury opening a tin of beans, in gang warfare or whilst attempting to murder his wife.

“The claimant was being dishonest in relation to his crime, during which he was injured and for which he has never admitted his guilt.

“But the cause of the cut fingers has no relevance to the clinical negligence claim. In my judgment the mechanism of how he cut his finger is incidental to the claim or collateral thereto.”

He also dismissed the NHS’ argument that his injuries were the "result of his own criminal actions", adding it has a "common duty of care" to all residents.