Oxford student who admitted stabbing boyfriend faces possible expulsion by college

Martin Evans

The Oxford University medical student who stabbed her boyfriend after taking cocaine, faces expulsion from her college, it has emerged.
Lavinia Woodward, 24, an aspiring heart surgeon, appeared at Oxford Crown Court last week, where she admitted punching her boyfriend in the face and gashing him in the leg with a bread knife, during a drug fuelled row.
But Judge Ian Pringle said her glittering career prospects meant he was minded to take an "exceptional course" when it comes to sentencing, suggesting she might avoid a custodial sentence.

 
The judge said: "To prevent this extraordinary, able young lady from following her long held desire to enter the profession she wishes to, would be too severe."
His comments led to speculation that she would be able to continue her studies at Christ Church college.
But it has now emerged that Woodward had already been warned about drug taking by the college and had been told she would be expelled if there was any further incidents.

Woodward will be sentenced for the knife attack in September, but could still be expelled from the college once the legal case has concluded.
A university spokesman said comments suggesting Woodward would be permitted to continue her degree "were the judge's not the college's".
The spokesman continued: "The context is obviously extremely serious."
It has emerged that prior to the attack, Woodward had been required to submit to regular drug testing by the college and had also been moved onto a research project where she had no contact with patients.

Oxford Crown Court heard how Woodward had met her boyfriend, Thomas Fairclough - a Cambridge PhD student on the Tinder dating website. 

During a row in September last year she punched him, slashed him with a knife and hurled a laptop, a glass and a jam jar at him.

It has also been alleged that it was not the first such incident and she had attacked him on two previous occasions.
She denied the previous charges at an earlier hearing and the court ruled they should lie on file.