A BLOODY handprint left on the wall of a house today is a disturbing symbol of a night of violence which left four people with stab wounds.This bloody trail was left by 72-year-old Esmie Nesbett who was stabbed in her Ipswich home.

A BLOODY handprint left on the wall of a house today is a disturbing symbol of a night of violence which left four people with stab wounds.

This bloody trail was left by 72-year-old Esmie Nesbett who was stabbed in her Ipswich home.

The Croft Road resident suffered chest wounds when she was attacked in her home at about 5.30pm yesterday.

Police are today questioning a man in connection with the stabbing.

The 19-year-old, who was previously of Ipswich, was arrested late yesterday on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm to Mrs Nesbett and is being held in police custody in Ipswich.

Neighbours have spoken of their shock over the stabbing of the grandmother and described Mrs Nesbett as a "brilliant" woman.

Nextdoor neighbour Clare Lay said: "It's shaken me up."

"I think she walked out to get help herself," she said.

"There was blood around here so I wonder whether she panicked trying to raise the alarm."

Mrs Lay said she saw Mrs Nesbett being treated by ambulance officers.

"She was conscious and sat up," she said.

Neighbours returned to their homes to find the road taped off and the police dog unit searching the area.

Dennis Laker, who lives two doors away from Mrs Nesbett said: "There's blood on the wall.

"I thought she might have collapsed with a heart attack or something.

"I can't understand it. It's a bit of a puzzle to me."

Police today described Mrs Nesbett's condition as stable. She is being treated in hospital but her injuries are not life threatening.

Meanwhile, a man is today under arrest on suspicion of attempted murder after a 39-year-old woman was stabbed and doused in petrol.

The woman, of The Green, Stowupland, sustained three gashes in an incident at about 1.40pm yesterday. One was to the side of her head, another on her neck and one to her wrist.

A 46-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the incident. It is believed he also suffered stab wounds.

The man at the centre of the police investigation is thought to be the woman's ex-boyfriend, who she had recently split from, having been together for around three months.

A man in his 80s, who lives near to the house, is believed to have intervened in an altercation between a man and a woman. He was treated by paramedics at the scene but was not taken to hospital.

Michael Hawkins, landlord of The Retreat, which is opposite the house in question, witnessed part of the incident.

He said: "We had quite a few customers playing pool in here at the time and one of the men, in his 20s, saw what was happening and ran over to help.

"I saw blood on a man and a woman. They brought the woman into the pub and she was bleeding badly from a gash on her head.

"It took about ten minutes to stop the bleeding and she was pretty upset, as you would expect.

"The woman appeared to be covered in petrol. It's a bit worrying something like this could happen, especially at that time of day."

The man currently under arrest was taken to Ipswich Hospital suffering from serious injuries and the woman was taken to the West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds, but has since been released after treatment.

The suspect had chest and abdominal injuries. He was still under observation today but his condition was described as non life-threatening by a Suffolk police spokesman.

The semi-detached house, which was sealed off until late yesterday evening, was unoccupied early today.

Linda Ladbrooke, 49, of The Green, said the lady who lived in the house was "friendly but kept herself to herself". She added: "Her name is Sarah and she lived there on her own. I see her walking her dog every so often but that's all I know about her. She is a nice person though."