A woman who almost died after being attacked by her former partner in Cork says she’s happy with the nine year sentence he received today.

Patrick O’Rourke admitted trying to murder Donna Foster by stabbing her repeatedly at their home in Ballyvoloon in Cobh in August last year.

The court heard the 63-year-old flew into a rage when she told him she was in love with somebody else and no longer loved him.

The surgeon who treated her afterwards said it was "miraculous" she was still alive.

Donna Foster spoke to reporters outside court saying she just wants to put it all behind her:

Donna’s father Harry said he was also pleased with the sentence handed down:

Patrick O’Rourke was due to stand trial for her attempted murder earlier this month but changed his plea to guilty at the last minute.

The court heard previously that the couple were having relationship difficulties in the weeks leading up to the attack.

They’d been together for over 14 years. He left his wife and children to be with her, but she told him she’d met somebody else.

During an argument in their kitchen on the morning of August 11th last year, Donna told him she didn’t love him anymore – that she was in love with this other person.

Mr. O’Rourke would later tell Gardaí that a rage came upon him and he grabbed a sharp fish boning knife from a cupboard under the sink.

He said he didn’t know what happened after that. He said he was just out of control and doesn’t know how long he attacked her for.

The court heard she was stabbed a number of times - the most serious injuries were to her throat and chest.

Donna said she “truly and honestly” believed she was going to die, and is still physically and emotionally scarred by what happened.

In arriving at a nine year sentence, Mr. Justice Patrick McCarthy said he believed the apology read out by Mr. O’Rourke earlier this month was genuine.

He said he’d no doubt he was a person of good character before this incident and has so far been well behaved in prison.

But he said Ms. Foster was entitled to bring the relationship to an end and the idea of an adverse reaction should have been beyond comprehension.

He was also handed a three and a half year concurrent sentence for assault causing harm to a minor at their home in Cobh on the same date.

Our Courts Correspondent Frank Greaney has further details: