A knife attacker has been warned he faces a life sentence for stabbing a woman on a disused railway line.
Gary Hopes is to be assessed for dangerousness by experts from the probation service after a Judge said he needs more information about the risk he poses.
The 44-year-old attacked 27-year-old Lisa Pengelly on the footpath near Moorhayes, Tiverton, on the evening of August 29, 2014 as they were walking together.
She spent two weeks in hospital being treated for serious injuries and a police search was launched involving the force helicopter and tracker dogs.
Hopes was later arrested at a hotel in London after a nationwide appeal for information.
He was due to be sentenced at Exeter Crown Court but Judge Phillip Wassall said he needed more information about the risk Hopes poses.
He is likely to receive a life sentence because he has a previous conviction for the attempted murder of a previous partner.
This means his case falls under the strict sentencing regime of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act (LASPO) of 2012 which lays down minimum terms for repeat violent offenders.
Hopes, of Authers Heights, Tiverton, has admitted wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
His case had previously been adjourned for a psychiatric report by Dr Christine Brown, which concluded he is not suitable for treatment under a hospital order.
Judge Wassall said:"Whatever the result, there is going to be a very long custodial sentence. I would not like the defendant to think it would not be a life sentence. That is the most likely outcome. Dr Brown's report is extremely clear.
"Under the provisions of LASPO it has to be a life sentence unless I consider that to be contrary to the interests of justice. I am also required to consider dangerousness.
"A probation report will not just assist the defence. The information it contains may increase the sentence because of the way the law operates, I need a full report to deal with the question of risk."
Mr Lee Bremridge, defending, said he will be seeking to persuade the court that a normal sentence with an extended licence period would be a better way of dealing with the case.
