ATTEMPTED murder victim Stacey Deacon says she will never be able to forgive the man who tried to kill her.

Robert Karanja has now been jailed for nine years after being found guilty of the attack near Swindon railway station and Miss Deacon says she will never forget how he could have taken her away from her children.

She said: "My partner wants me to forgive him because otherwise it just makes you bitter.

"But I don't know if I ever can. That's the man who wanted to take me away from my children, my partner and my family."

Miss Deacon, 24, was in court on Friday when the judge sentenced Karanja. He was found guilty by a jury in October.

"I am happy with that, but at the same time I'm left thinking is that all my life is worth?'" she said.

"My mum was really angry, but I'm her daughter and I don't think even the death penalty would be enough in her eyes."

Since the attack in November 2004 Miss Deacon said she has become a lot more wary.

"I won't go out in the town centre at night any more, I've done it once or twice and I just don't like it," she said.

Miss Deacon said after she was stabbed she was convinced she was going to die.

"It was just like being punched, it wasn't until I tried to run away that I put my hand down to my side and felt the blood," she said.

"I thought I was going to die, all that kept going through my head was how I would never see my children again.

"It was terrifying, and I was so scared that he was going to come back.

"That was my biggest worry, that he would be back in Swindon within a year, at least now I know that is not going to happen."

And while she tries to avoid it, she knows her fears could affect her daughters.

"My five-year-old daughter has asked me what happened," she said.

"How am I supposed to explain that this nasty man hurt mummy for no reason? Why should I have to?

"It really upsets me when she asks about it, but I still have days when I don't feel like doing anything and she asks me what's wrong."

Now the case is over Miss Deacon hopes she and her family can move on.

"Everyone has been wonderful, and my partner has been so supportive," she said.

"I've got to try and get past this now. Whether I can or not I don't know, but it is time to give it a go."

Attacker hunted down his victims

FORMER Kenyan police officer Robert Karanja, who tried to kill a young mum during a frenzied knife attack on her and her friends outside Swindon train station, has been jailed for nine years.

Karanja hunted his victims down armed with a kitchen knife following a racist attack on him.

The 27-year-old, of St Mary's Grove, Swindon, plunged the blade twice into Stacey Deacon's stomach, after mistakenly assuming she had taken part in the attack.

He slashed Martin Croke across his arm and punched a third victim, Victoria Pike, who had also not taken part in his attack.

Karanja denied one charge of attempted murder, one charge of wounding with intent and one charge of assault by beating but a jury at Bristol Crown Court convicted him of the charges on October 27 last year.

When he returned to be sentenced Judge Thomas Crowther said Karanja had armed himself with a fearsome knife and said: "Only a sentence of imprisonment is appropriate.

"It has to reflect the impact on your victims, particularly Miss Deacon."

The jury had heard Miss Deacon had got caught up in the attacks on the evening of Tuesday, November 9, 2004 following an evening at Angelo's nightclub.

One of her wounds was 10cm deep and had perforated her small bowel in four places.

She had not been present at an earlier fracas involving Mr Croke and a woman, during which Karanja was attacked.

Karanja claimed he had accidentally stabbed his victims but admitted he had gone out looking for them for revenge after the earlier incident.