A 34-year-old man is to stand trial on a charge of attempting to murder the mother of his two young children.
Stephen David John McFarlane appeared at Belfast Crown Court yesterday where he admitted attacking the Newtownabbey woman and causing her grievous bodily harm with intent - but denied trying to kill her.
The accused, from Glenville Park in Newtownabbey, was charged with a total of seven offences arising from a knife attack in the victim's Glengormley home on January 13 2016.
While he denied a charge of attempted murder, McFarlane admitted unlawfully and maliciously causing the 27-year-old grievous bodily harm with intent to do her grievous bodily harm, and of damaging a door belonging to her.
He also admitted making off without paying for £40 worth of petrol on January 14 and stealing two sets of vehicle licence plates.
In addition, he pleaded guilty to a charge of driving dangerously on roads between and including Jordanstown Road and Welland Street in Belfast.
The driving charge is understood to relate to a high-speed police chase on January 15 which ended when a white Audi was cornered in a cul-de-sac in east Belfast.
After entering his pleas yesterday, a prosecuting barrister told Judge Geoffrey Miller that the Crown "intended to proceed" with the attempted murder charge.
