A PREGNANT teenager who stabbed her boyfriend with his penknife in Weymouth has been sentenced to a 12-month youth community order at Dorchester Crown Court.

Victoria Messer, 17, of Princess Road, West-bourne, Poole pleaded guilty to unlawfully wounding her former boyfriend Shawn Paul Yates.

Prosecutor Zosia Keniston said that on Friday, March 9, the couple had an argument outside the Spar shop in Abbotsbury Road, Weymouth.

The court heard that Messer, who is now six-months pregnant, was 16 at the time and the argument was about her pregnancy.

She swiped Mr Yates and he thought she had punched him but looked down and saw blood on his shirt. He suffered a cut on the right side of his chest, and was taken to Dorset County Hospital for treatment of local anaesthetic and two stitches.

Ms Keniston said Messer was arrested and originally denied the stabbing.

James Newton-Clark, in mitigation, said Mr Yates had a history of drugs and minor dishonesty and usually carried a knife on him to protect himself against people he owed money to. He had been on crutches at the time and asked Messer to carry a flick knife with a two to three-inch-long blade for him.

Judge Christopher Harvey Clark told Messer: "Street violence involving young people and their use of knives is a serious problem in our society today and in other circumstances you would be facing a substantial period of custody."

He said he understood that an argument about her pregnancy would have been emotional.

"According to you he put his hands around your throat, you feared serious violence from him and memories of violence in your own family in the past haunted you. It was in those circumstances that you stabbed him using the knife he had given you for protection. It is ironic you used the knife on him."

The court heard that it was uncharacteristic behaviour for Messer, and only minor injuries were caused due to Mr Yates' thick clothing.

Judge Harvey Clark said Messer would be under supervision from the probation service's youth offending team for the next year and no financial penalty would be imposed.

He told her to engage with health professionals about her pregnancy and to take advice on accommodation.

"Make the most of it. I like to think over the next 12 months you will benefit very much from the help and supervision you will be receiving. I hope all goes well with your birth and child."