Croatian criminal who had already been deported from the UK TWICE is jailed for a horror knife attack after sneaking back into the country under a false name
Jilted lover Maxi Lord stabbed his ex-mother-in-law at her home in Bradford and has been jailed for 12 years
A CROATIAN criminal who had been deported TWICE from the UK has been jailed for a ferocious knife attack - just months after re-entering the country under a false name.
Maxi Lord, 42, left his ex-mother-in-law with 23 wounds to her face and hands, following the "terrifying and sustained" assault.
The attack was so violent that the kitchen knife he used broke into four pieces.
His victim Gabriella Danihelova, 53, was left shaking in fear, with blood pooled at her feet.
The incident happened last October, just six months after Lord had last been kicked out of the country, Bradford Crown Court heard.
Lord - who served in the Croatian Army - had previous convictions in the UK for conspiracy to commit fraud, battery and theft from his employer.
He was deported in 2013 and again on April 23 last year, making his way back into the country via Italy under a false name.
Now he has been jailed for 12 years following the attack, which left Mrs Danihelova in hospital for four days and with bandaged hands for weeks.
Dave MacKay, prosecuting, said there were two young children in the house in Bradford when Lord tricked his way in.
The court heard that he had spilt up with Mrs Danihelova's daughter, Svetlana, 32, after a turbulent relationship.
Lord, from Bradford, and his accomplice, Mariusz Ochnio, were originally charged with attempted murder.
Lord's guilty pleas to causing grievous bodily harm with intent and possession of an offensive weapon were later accepted by the Crown.
Ochnio, 35, of Bradford, admitted common assault and was jailed for four months.
Lord asked Ochnio to knock on the door because he knew the family would not open it to him, Mr MacKay said.
Ochnio followed Lord into the house and took hold of Mrs Danihelova's daughter-in-law, Beata Krokova, covering her mouth to stop her screaming.
But the prosecution accepted that he did not know what Lord planned to do.
Mrs Danihelova said her injuries meant she could no longer work as a cleaner and she was undergoing counselling and physiotherapy.
Lord's barrister, Rodney Ferm, said the attack was the result of "bad blood between families", adding: "He regrets it.”
The Recorder of Bradford, Judge Roger Thomas QC, told Lord: "You were bent on very serious and premeditated violence.
"You caused very real damage in a frenzied attack on Gabriella. It was a terrifying and substantial assault."
Judge Thomas said Lord would again be deported after serving his sentence.