Husband's joy at seeing stabbed wife's smile
The husband of British stab victim Abigail Witchalls - attacked as she brought her child for a walk - told today of his joy at seeing her smile.
Talking publicly for the first time about his wife’s terrible ordeal, Benoit Witchalls spoke of his pride in her determination to pull through.
Mrs Witchalls, 26, was considered likely to die when she first arrived in hospital after she was knifed in the neck close to her home in Little Bookham, Surrey.
But she has astounded medical experts by reporting some sensation in her shoulders, arms and legs.
The man who tried to kill her had first threatened her 21-month-old son Joseph with a knife.
Mr Witchalls, a 26-year-old engineer, told the BBC Crimewatch programme: “She’s a remarkable character. She’s still got her smile which is very comforting to see.
“We feel very lucky and very blessed because she is fully present as herself, it’s just great to see and it’s a great joy. You can see in her face when she sees Joseph.”
Using a difficult communication process when she was first in hospital the first word Mrs Witchalls spelled out was “happy”.
Mr Witchalls said: “The reason that she said her first word that she picked was ’happy’ was because she was so relieved that he (Joseph) came out of it unscathed, physically.”
Communication was still difficult for his wife, he said.
Crimewatch will also show a reconstruction of the attack which happened on April 20.
Detectives have been examining suicide notes left by a suspect who wrote an apparent confession before killing himself.
Richard Cazaly, aged 23, was found dead in Scotland after apparently taking an overdose of paracetamol.
Police are also awaiting the results of DNA tests on material taken from Cazaly’s body and from a bag of knives.
