A woman who assaulted her lover was advised by a friend to hide from the police and throw her knife under a car, a court has heard.

Joshua Ellis Richard Stephens, 26, of Marble Hall Road, Milford Haven, pleaded guilty to assisting an offender when he appeared before Haverfordwest magistrates on Tuesday.

Vaughan Pritchard-Jones, prosecuting, told the court that Amy Rees rang Stephens to tell him she had just stabbed her girlfriend with a carving knife on January 20, 2016.

Rees, who was later was sentenced to a nine month prison term by the crown court for attempted actual bodily harm, asked Stephens what she should do when she called him on the day in question.

Mr Pritchard-Jones said: “He said he would pick her up and hide her from the police. He told her to crouch between parked cars and throw the knife under a car in the car park.”

Stephens was stopped by the police as he drove to collect her, and let the officer speak to Amy Rees on his mobile phone.

She stated she had a knife and threatened to harm herself. When given back his phone Stephens again advised Rees to hide, but she was found and arrested.

Mr Pritchard-Jones added: “The defendant’s attempt to hide her was not successful at all. Had he actually taken her away, it would be a far more serious offence.”

Jonathan Webb, defending, said: “Mr Stephens semi-believed his friend, but at the same time he knew about her, and would not have been surprised if what she going on about was a load of rubbish.”

He added that not only had Stephens handed the police his phone, he had also provided a recording of the call which assisted the prosecution.

Mr Webb told the court that while Stephens’ offence was at the lower end of the scale, he was “at the top end of the scale where stupidity was concerned”.

Magistrates told Stephens he had committed a serious offence as they imposed an 18 month conditional discharge.

He was ordered to pay £85 court costs and a £20 victim surcharge.