19-year-old who wore clown makeup and stabbed her lover five times during sex gets jailed for 11 years
A 19-year-old mother-of-one, Zoe Adams, has been convicted for 11 years and six months by Carlisle Crown Court after she admitted to stabbing 18-year-old Kieran Bewick five times during sex with a 10-inch blade while dressed up in clown makeup. The attack happened in Adams' home in Cumbria. Certain disturbing images were found on the young woman's phone including one of a blood-soaked woman captioned "Murder is like a bag of chips; you can't stop after just one".
Bewick reportedly has a phobia of clowns, a fact that Adams was aware of. She claimed to have put on the makeup for "a bit of fun". Adams claimed that she did not intend to scare Bewick or cause him harm. According to a Daily Mail report, she also said that she considered Bewick to be one of her best friends and that she was generally uncomfortable with sex.
Adams told the court that she had gotten into bed with Bewick and cuddled with him. When Bewick began to kiss her neck, she reportedly told him to stop. She claims to have no memory of what happened after. According to the victim, Adams brought duct tape into the bedroom with her and asked to tie him up. As a compromise, Bewick agreed to have a pillow kept over his face.
Adams reportedly told Bewick to trust her before repeatedly stabbing him. The attack caused two serious wounds to the chest as well as injuries to an arm, a leg and a hand. Bewick was left with a collapsed lung and pneumonia following the incident. Adams admitted to being under the influence of vodka and cannabis during the attack.
According to Adams, Bewick was a good friend who she allowed to stay with her after he left home. The pair reportedly had sex once before but Adams considered it a mistake and termed it "a line that should not have been crossed". Adams shared her love of writing with the younger Bewick who had published a dark fantasy novel titled 'Ascendence'. She denied attempting to tie up Bewick and claimed not to have any interest in sexual violence. Both Bewick and Adams were members of a Facebook group called 'Murder Files for Curious [People].'
The case appeared before Judge James Adkin because of the inconsistencies between the two statements about the events leading up to the attack. The Judge decided to uphold the victim's version of the story and called Adams "cruel and sadistic".
"You had decided to cause serious harm to Mr Bewick during sex," the judge told the accused.
The judge added: "I am sure that by that time you had already become disinhibited by drink and drugs and the more sadistic side of your personality had come to dominate."
"Any assault with a knife has the potential for fatal consequences. In this instance, the young victim of this callous and violent attack has been very fortunate to escape with his life," Cumbria Police Detective Constable Calvin Greaves told the Daily Mail. "Adams told officers she blacked out and had no memory of the attack. Her [then] 17-year-old victim is not so fortunate. He will have to live with the physical and mental scars of Adams' actions for the rest of his life. He has shown great courage throughout the investigation, not least in giving detectives a statement regarding the attack whilst only hours into his recovery."
"I struggle with the knowledge that someone I genuinely cared about would do this to me," Bewick said. "Just after I got out of the hospital, this thought played on my mind a lot. But having had time to think about it, I am convinced that she planned it. It wasn't personal. She was going to do it to someone and it just happened to be me. Strangely, that makes it easier to deal with."