A former army Major tracked down his ex-wife and slashed her throat after a bitter divorce. Jonathan Creak, 50, has been jailed for 25 years and his victim, Rhiannon, told the court the vicious attack has had an “unimaginable” impact on her life.
Creak, of Westland Way in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, drove over 140 miles to confront her in a country lane before launching the attack with a Stanley knife. He screamed “you need to die” while stabbing Rhiannon, who he had been married to for 10 years, multiple times. The 50-year-old was found guilty of attempted murder and sentenced at Norwich Crown Court on Friday (July 25).
As reported by the Daily Mail, Creak was arrested on a busy dual carriageway later on the day of the attack. Police officers ordered him to lie down outside of his van before he laughed and told them: “You don’t get much action”.
The court heard how Rhiannon required emergency surgery after suffering serious wounds to her windpipe, neck, back, breast, and leg. She also said in a statement: “The emotional impact of the attempt on my life has been unimaginable for me and my family. I have been diagnosed with PTSD and hyper-vigilance.
“I haven’t slept for more than a couple of hours a day since July, I am scared to be alone or in my partner’s home, the house where I was followed from.”
Creak, who served in Afghanistan, claimed he had no memory of the incident which he said was triggered when he went to confront his ex-wife over her demands for a share of his army pension. During his sentencing, Judge Katharine Moore accepted that he suffered from mental health issues, including depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
The court heard how Creak travelled from Oxford on the night of July 5 last year before tracking Rhiannon down the following morning. He was driving a white Volkswagen van when he followed her and blocked her car in on a lane in Hardwick.
He got out of the car before confronting her and producing a knife. He used it to stab Rhiannon multiple times, including a 20cm cut to her neck which has left her with scarring.
She tried to run away but Creak chased her and slashed her back. He then shouted “you’re going to die, you just need to die” before leaving her at the scene in a critical condition.
In her victim statement, Rhiannon added: “He will blame me for this whole experience and I have no doubt, will come for me again when he is released, this time with more vile, having had time to ruminate on it in prison, with more aggression, being angry that I didn’t die at his first attempt and that he was caught, and with more information, having tried once before and learning from what he considers his mistakes. It is the thing I fear the most, the day he is released, and I am hunted once more.”