MEETING the man who had stabbed her husband faceto- face made Coral Kent feel a lot better than when she saw him sentenced in court.

The 44-year-old got the chance under the restorative justice scheme run in the Thames Valley to ask Ross Chittock why he had attacked her husband Edward outside their home in Long Wittenham.

Yesterday she welcomed news of a £900,000 funding boost for the scheme that is expected to mean more victims and their relatives can confront criminals.

Chittock, of Overmead in Abingdon, admitted causing actual bodily harm in 2010 over the 2008 attack and was given a two-year suspended sentence and ordered to complete community work.

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Mr Kent’s wife Coral said that she was not satisfied with the sentence until taking part in the restorative justice scheme.

Despite other members of the family deciding it was not something they wanted to do, Mrs Kent was adamant she wanted to speak to Chittock face-to-face.

The grandmother-of-two said: “The restorative justice staff were amazing. I didn’t feel scared because of the support. I was really surprised – when I met him I didn’t feel any animosity.”

The attack was after a woman became angry at Mrs Kent’s driving and brought a group of men to the couple’s house in Saxons Heath.

Mrs Kent said: “They were all carrying bottles and they all piled onto my husband. I could see he’d been bloodied and we got him indoors while they all drove off. It turned out this guy had sliced him right in front of his ear.”

She added: “I felt angry and deflated because we weren’t going to get our say in court. There was something niggling.

“I had to see him face-to-face.

He said he had been on drink and drugs, which is an excuse, not a reason. But he apologised and asked about my husband and I came away feeling like I had been able to talk to him better than I would have in court.”

Now the Police and Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley Anthony Stansfeld has given a threeyear contract worth more than £917,000 to Thames Valley Partnership.

The charity will use the money to fund its staff and resources to lead the Thames Valley Restorative Justice Service, starting next month. It is hoped that the new contract means more people in the county will have access to restorative justice programmes and benefit in longer-term programmes.

Mrs Kent said: “It should be rolled out across the county. It’s important for people who don’t go to court so they can have their say.”