Christian grandmother stabbed in head says she will forgive attacker, if he turns to God

Reuters

A grandmother stabbed in the head 13 times has said she will forgive her attacker if he turns to God.

Angela Burks, 68, attributes her survival after she was stabbed in the head by Lee Greenall to "a miracle".

She was stabbed by the 39-year-old when she refused to give him her handbag in Alfreton, Derbyshire, on February 5.

When she then surrendered the bag, he continued to stab her.

He was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, but pleaded guilty to wounding with intent, robbery and possessing an offensive weapon and is serving a 10 year prison sentence.

Burks said she would forgive her attacker if he repented.

"It's got to be true repentance though. It's not going to be like an apology - 'I'm sorry' - because anybody can say they're sorry.

"He would then have to turn his life round to God and he would have to prove it to me that he had," she told BBC.

"Personally I would like him to come to God of course, and I would like him to come to full repentance," she said.

"So if he did that, yes, I would forgive him."

When she was attacked, Burks mistook the stab wounds for punches, despite them fracturing her skull and causing a brain bleed.

"I just seemed to accept everything that I had to go through and I'm positive this was part of the miracle," she said.

"I wasn't aware he was stabbing me, but to be stabbed 13 times and not to feel it is just incredible that I'm alive."