A WOMAN who was stabbed twice on a pub dance floor at first carried on dancing, unaware she had been injured. In fact she had received two small wounds, one in her abdomen and one to her thigh during a scrap with Charlotte Oakley, Luton Crown Court heard.

A WOMAN who was stabbed twice on a pub dance floor at first carried on dancing, unaware she had been injured.

In fact she had received two small wounds, one in her abdomen and one to her thigh during a scrap with Charlotte Oakley, Luton Crown Court heard.

The knife involved has never been found, said prosecutor Simon Ash, but was thought to be small enough to fit on a key ring.

Oakley, 20, of Basils Road, Stevenage, pleaded guilty to a charge of wounding Amethyst Wood with intent and was sentenced to 30 months youth custody on Friday.

Mr Ash said the incident happened at The Red Lion in Stevenage Old Town on March 24 this year.

The two young women had an argument which spilled on to the dance floor. The other woman pulled the defendant's hair.

She then believed she had been punched in the stomach, retaliated with a punch to the nose and then thought she had been kicked in the leg.

She carried on dancing before she realised what had really happened. One wound was 2 cm long and 2 cm deep but hardly bled, the court was told.

Lawrence Selby, defending, said: "Fortunately the injuries were not as serious as they could have been."

Judge Geoffrey Breen told Oakley: "I accept the other woman was much larger than you. You are small and slightly built. I also accept there was a significant degree of provocation. You should have walked away and sought assistance from the security staff.

"But you were armed with a knife and resorted to using it. It must have been a very small knife but even small knives are capable of inflicting serious and sometimes life threatening injuries.