Stab girl's 'David and Goliath' win

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Jessica Knight was attacked as she walked through a park in Astley Village, near Chorley, Lancashire, on January 21.

Her father Richard Knight, 41, revealed that his daughter has had a stroke and has a chest infection, but has started to communicate in the last two days.

He and her mother Jill Walmsley, 37, are confident their daughter will make a full recovery.

Mr Knight, of Helsby, Cheshire, said: "She's had such a battle, we're going to use the battle to actually will her on. She's got this far. She was knocking at the 'pearly gates' and she came back from the brink of death and beat it hands down.

"It was a real David and Goliath battle and she won it and we're going to use that to help with the psychological effects."

Mr Knight said: "She's gone from a lively, bubbly 14-year-old, very carefree, to not being able to talk."

The teenager - known as Jess to her family and friends - was discovered bleeding in the park and was helped by several passers-by.

She was taken to Chorley General Hospital in a critical condition before she was transferred to the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital. Jessica underwent six hours of surgery.

Mr Knight, referring to the vital help Jessica received at the scene of the stabbing, said: "Apart from being what appears to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, every single event that happened in the next hour went in her favour. There are about seven or eight chain of events that went in her favour. The guy who stopped the bleeding saved her life, end of story."