A woman has been charged with attempted murder after her mum was knifed 13 times in her own home.

Olivia Moat, 49, is accused of repeatedly stabbing mother Shirley, 78, at a property in Bekesbourne Lane, Canterbury.

Neighbours have described the terrifying moment police descended on their quiet village after officers were called to the address at about 11.20pm on Monday.

The pensioner suffered serious injuries and was airlifted to a London hospital, where she remains in a serious but stable condition.

Police located Olivia Moat nearby in Littlebourne Road and arrested her in connection with the incident.

On Tuesday, the Crown Prosecution Service authorised a charge of attempted murder against Moat, who lives in Brymore Road in Canterbury.

She was remanded in custody and was due to appear at Medway Magistrates’ Court today before the case was later moved to Folkestone Magistrates’ Court.

Magistrates heard the victim suffered 13 stab wounds to her hands, face and head and is likely to be in hospital for at least a week.

Moat was remanded in custody and is due to appear at Maidstone Crown Court on September 11.

Police were still at the scene in Bekesbourne Lane this afternoon, and forensics experts wearing white suits were seen entering a house.

Mum-of-three Emma Jaynes, who lives in Littlebourne Road near Canterbury Golf Course, described seeing the road “swarming” with police on Monday night.

She said: “My son was in the bathroom at the front of the house at about 12.15pm, when he suddenly said ‘mum you have to come see this’.

“The whole road was swarmed with police, ambulances, critical care.

“We didn’t know what had happened.

“I thought it was a drunk driver or something - this is the first I’ve heard that it was someone who was stabbed.

“It was still going on at 3am. I went out to have a smoke but the police told me I couldn’t go out.

“They said it’s a serious crime scene - we couldn’t leave our houses. The road was blocked off.”

Ms Jaynes, 37, says she has seen nothing like this in the three-and-a-half years she has lived here with her three young children.

"It’s not nice, because it’s a really nice, quiet area. It’s really quite bizarre and shocking..." - Stacey Epps

“We get lots of sirens and blue lights going past - lot of cars speeding along here and some crashes - but nothing like this,” she said.

Samantha Scamp, a mum-of-six who lives in nearby Lampen Walk, said she heard screaming coming from the area on Monday.

“I heard screaming at 11.40pm and thought it was people over at St Martin’s Hospital as I live over the road from there,” she said.

“I didn’t think anything else about it then about 20 minutes later I heard the helicopter and saw blue lights flying past.

“Then my friend phoned me saying something happened and got told to stay in her house.”

Stacey Epps, an administrator at Highfield Care Home in Bekesbourne Lane, called the incident “bizarre and shocking”.

“Police came over on Tuesday and asked if they had seen or heard anything, but nobody had,” said the 40-year-old.

“It’s not nice, because it’s a really nice, quiet area. It’s really quite bizarre and shocking.

“I think probably the ladies on the night shift on Monday were worried to be seeing all these police cars and the helicopter.

“Our security here’s pretty good here so we feel relatively secure, but it’s still quite a worry.”

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