Lord mayor of Melbourne Nick Reece has admitted he knew beforehand, that a 36-year-old woman was stabbed as she was walking down Little Bourke Street on her way to work.

Graphic footage of the attack, which occurred on October 2, has been released over the last 24 hours, but the lord mayor said he had been told about it earlier.

“I was aware that that incident had occurred,” Reece told Ross and Russ.

Press PLAY to hear more from the lord mayor on the ‘absolutely shocking’ stabbing

The victim was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

A 32-year-old Melbourne woman has since been charged with intentionally causing injury and committing an indictable offence whilst on bail.