When her boyfriend stabbed her in the neck, a Massachusetts woman feared telling the truth would cost her life. So she blamed a stranger.

Two years later, she returned to police with the real story: Ryan Veenstra — who already had restraining orders against him by seven different women — was her attacker.

Veenstra, 42, of Dartmouth, was sentenced in the Fall River Superior Court on Friday to serve a sentence of 12-15 years in prison for an assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury, intimidation of a witness and stalking. Veenstra was convicted after a jury trial on Aug. 21.

“I commend the victim for coming forward and testifying at trial. The defendant, at the time of the stabbing was on probation, and the court had previously issued 13 restraining orders

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