text: A mother-of-three repeatedly knifed in the head by her violent boyfriend has revealed how she begged him to put her to bed so she didn't die on the floor. Joanne Bolton told how she thought she was going to die at the hands of Steven Young during the 'brutal and merciless' seven hour long ordeal. The 35-year-old was stabbed over 14 times before being knocked out with a mental bar after being held captive in her own home. Joanne Bolton, pictured in hospital,  did not believe she was going to survive the horrific attack that saw her knifed more than 14 times . Such was the force of the attack, that the blade of a knife being used to stab her in the head broke. But this did not end the nightmare, instead Young chose a bigger weapon and continued his violent onslaught. 'I didn't think I was going to survive and I asked him to put me to bed because I didn't want to die on the floor,' said Miss Bolton of New Kyo, Stanley, County Durham. 'I felt euphoric, I stopped feeling the cold and had no strength left. I knew I didn't have long left.' Miss Bolton was already fleeing from a violent relationship when she met Young and jumped at the chance to move in with him after staying in a refuge. But soon after he became possessive and violent and started using her a punchbag as he fought his own insecurities. Steven Young, pictured right,  was jailed for 18 years by a judge at Newcastle Crown Court after he admitted attempted murder of Miss Bolton, pictured left, shortly after the seven hour ordeal . Miss Bolton, a former support worker, says he was using drugs and was on prescribed methadone which led to paranoia at times. But in May he exploded after she had posted a photo and message on Facebook saying she was unhappy. 'He would wind himself up to breaking point. He would say I was cheating on him but it was him cheating on me,' she said. 'But on that day I had been outside fixing my car and had been talking to a young lad who collects scrap metal. 'He [Young] was upset because of the Facebook message. I went into the kitchen and opened a tin of tuna and he stuck a six inch knife in my head. 'The blade was sticking in my head and I thought 'oh my God, I'm going to die'. I couldn't pull it out but he did. 'He pulled it so hard it gave me whiplash and the blade snapped on the way out and fell on the floor. He went for another big knife and he stabbed me in the back and it punctured my kidney. 'He then stabbed me twice in the chest - once in the breast and once in the lung. My lung was filling with blood, I knew I was in trouble and I was coughing up blood. The mother-of-three  has been left scarred for life and needed more than 100 stitches to her face, arms and body . 'I didn't feel the stabs, it just felt like punches, I feel more pain in my dreams now. 'He kept telling me I was going to die and was trying to stab me in the eyes and kept lunging and stabbing me in the head and face, over and over and over again. I put my arm up to protect myself. 'He cut through the nerves, tendons, veins and ligaments above my wrist, blood spurted out. 'From my wrist it was hanging off. He then stabbed me in the thumb, I needed over 100 stitches in total.' Young pleaded guilty to attempted murder and was given an 18-year sentence in February at Newcastle Crown Court. Jailing him, Judge Paul Sloan told him: 'During the attack Miss Bolton truly believed she was going to die and she has suffered profound physical and mental suffering. 'This was a particularly brutal, merciless and sustained attack that must have been truly terrifying for the victim. 'There is a significant risk to members of the public, particularly partners and former partners, of serious harm by you.' Mum-of-three Joanne added: 'I was left in my own pool of blood and I was very cold. 'I was there for hours and then I crawled towards the fire to get warm. 'When I was on my hands and knees he took a power bar and played golf with my head. He hit me in the forehead which flung me backwards then hit me on the shoulder which fractured the bones in my shoulder blade.' Thinking of a way out, gasping for breath, Miss Bolton persuaded Young to put her on the bed and said she had £20 for him to uy drugs. Miss Bolton now suffers with mild brain damage and is often scared to leave the house . On his return she begged him to call an ambulance, saying she would blame her injuries on someone else. She was in intensive care on a ventilator and was in surgery for six hours. 'I had been sterilised when I was 22 because I had real problems during my three births but somehow was pregnant during this,' said Joanne. 'I miscarried after my shoulder operation but that plays heavy on my mind now. 'I never expected to be pregnant again, that was not supposed to happen, but I was and it survived those weeks while this was happening' The frenzied attack has left Joanne with mild brain damage, she struggles to detect smell, has short time memory problems and is often too scared to leave the house. But now new boyfriend Brett Ritchie, 40, of South Stanley, is helping her through her nightmare. 'Brett is different, he is patient, caring and would go to the end of the world and back for me. 'I genuinely feel I am with someone for the right reasons.' Dad-of-six Brett said: 'She has got a lot of trust to gain back and that takes time, but I'm willing to wait because I love her.'
target: Joanne Bolton was stabbed over 14 times before being battered with a bar .
  Stabbed in the head with a knife so violently the blade snapped so he grabbed a bigger weapon to carry on attack .
  She was left with mild brain damage and needing over 100 stitches .
  Steven Young admitted attempted murder and was jailed for 18 years .