A WOMAN who stabbed a man with an eight-inch kitchen knife on his own doorstep has been jailed indefinitely after being branded a danger to the public.

Claire Duckworth's victim Darryl Hopkins had to be resuscitated after the attack and underwent surgery for a hole in his diaphragm before being treated in a hospital's high dependency unit, Burnley Crown Court heard.

Meanwhile Duckworth announced "cockily" to friends: "I have done it. I have done it. It went straight through."

She then produced the blood-stained knife and said: "I'm well hard, me."

Yesterday Judge Beverley Lunt said that she was jailing Duckworth indefinitely with a recommendation she serve a minimum of two years and 155 days.

Judge Lunt said that she believed Duckworth was a danger to the public. She will not be released until the parole board are satisfied that this is no longer the case.

Duckworth, 21, of Brunshaw Road, Burnley, had earlier admitted wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

Sarah Statham, prosecuting, told the court Mr Hopkins was subjected to an unprovoked and premeditated attack after the defendant went to his property, armed with the knife.

A friend reported about 9.15pm Duckworth had been very drunk and couldn't stand. She produced an eight-inch knife and said she was going to stab "Darryl the smackhead."

She wandered off to some nearby shops the victim lived above and knocked on his front door. Mr Hopkins's girlfriend answered and Duckworth asked if Mr Hopkins could give her a cigarette.

Miss Statham said the victim went to the door, held out a cigarette and Duckworth thrust the knife into his chest.

Blood started spurting from his wound, he collapsed onto the floor and a friend who was in the flat put him in the recovery position and stemmed the flow of blood until an ambulance arrived.

After the incident, the defendant told her friends what she had done and said if Mr Hopkins grassed she would kill him. She was arrested the following afternoon.

The prosecutor said medics reported Mr Hopkins was shaken and had very, very low blood pressure on arrival at hospital where he had to be resucitated.

He was given intravenous fluids and a drain was put in his chest. He also had a hole in his diaphragm and when a second drain was put in, he lost half a litre of blood.

Mr Hopkins was taken to a high dependency unit and had to have an exploratory operation to see if any damage had been caused to his abdomen. The hole in his diaphragm was repaired.

Miss Statham said Mr Hopkins had been a drug user and his recovery had taken longer. The chest drain was kept in for 28 days and the victim ended up with an infection The prosecutor added: "Mr Hopkins suffers from schizophrenia and since this incident it is now much worse. He is paranoid, always edgy and is scared of being attacked and opening the front door."

She said Duckworth made no comment when interviewed by police. She had 48 previous convictions, many for serious offences, committed her first assault when she was 13 and had been the subject of an anti-social behaviour order.

The defendant had been given a suspended sentence five days before the offence.

Martin Hackett, defending, said Duckworth could not really remember what happened. She wanted to change and had made great efforts whilst on remand.