Marina Afonina, now 51, from Northampton, met Ioan Budea in 2006. The following year, they moved in together. But Ioan didn’t like to work, and Marina paid for everything. Years passed and he was no different. Ioan started to drink heavily, and the pair constantly argued. In July 2022, Marina ended things. But the following month, Ioan turned up at the hospital where she worked, drunk. He followed Marina as she walked home. He stabbed her eight times in her left side, shoulder, arm and breast. Thankfully, a stranger intervened and saved Marina’s life. In July 2023, Ioan was found guilty of assault by beating and attempted murder. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison with a further three years on license at Northampton Crown Court.
WITH SNOW COVERING the ground around them, these two polar bears play fight .
A PENSIONER was left with a fractured jaw after being beaten and robbed outside his home in Birmingham last weekend .
PERCHED on a branch, this Little Owl plays third wheel to two love birds .
RAISING his flipper, this two day old seal pup gives a wave to the camera .
In the calm waters of Greenland, gigantic icebergs dwarf everything around them .
A Little owl looks down the lens of a camera and gives the photographer a cheeky wink .
A BAMBI was dramatically caught in mid-air by a greedy Nile crocodile in a once-in-a-million flying pincer move .
HIDDEN in the middle of the Mojave Desert, a secret oasis awaits intrepid travellers .
An osprey soars through the air at 30 miles per hour before swooping down to catch its prey from a lake .
WIDE EYED and staring straight down the lens of the camera, this intrigued seal is ready for his close up .
A lazy tree frog, tired of hopping along a branch, chooses the slowest form of transport when it jumps on top of an unsuspecting snail .
FROM A mini table and chairs to a detailed violin, it’s hard to believe these incredible sculptures are all carved into the nib of PENCILS .