Jealous thug attempted to strangle woman in front of their children after she refused to have sex with him
A “jealous” thug who threatened his ex-partner with a knife and a shard of glass before attacking and strangling her in front of their two young children has walked away from court with a suspended sentence.
Shepherd Mazarire’s attack on the mother of his children only came to an end when the youngsters intervened as he was strangling her on the floor of their family home, Sheffield Crown Court heard.
Such was the complainant’s desperation to flee that she only escaped Mazarire’s grasp by wriggling out of the dressing gown she was wearing, and running out of the house naked, after making sure their children were with her.
She and the children waited in a neighbour’s nearby garden “for hours,” until a passer-by offered to assist her by calling the police, prosecutor Ella Fornsworth told a hearing held on September 16, 2025.
Handing Mazarire a suspended sentence, Judge Michael Slater told him: “Having consumed alcohol you became aggressive and violent towards her, which involved threatening her with a knife and a broken piece of glass, before culminating in you seeking to strangle her which was only interrupted by your children intervening. The result was she had to flee naked into the street.”
The violence broke out in the early hours of the morning on February 20, 2025, after Mazarire had spent more than six hours drinking alcohol, whilst he and the complainant watched television together.
“The relationship was volatile, and the defendant was jealous and insecure, particularly when he’d been drinking alcohol,” the prosecutor told a hearing held on September 16, 2025.
Describing the attack, Ms Fornsworth told the court Mazarire became angry after the complainant refused to engage in sexual activity with him.
After the argument became heated, the complainant “retreated” to their daughter’s bedroom, believing that Mazarire would not follow her, but he did, and sought to continue the argument.
Mazarire, aged 38, continued to “pursue” the defendant as she went downstairs, said Ms Fornsworth.
She continued: “He picked up a kitchen knife, and held it as he threatened the complainant, telling her he would kill her, the children and himself. He then began to hold it to his own stomach.”
Mazarire, of Blue Bell Way, Rotherham, put down the knife but continued to make threats, before knocking a number of items off the dining room temper in a “fit of rage.”
“He picked up a shard of broken glass pointing it at the defendant, and once again began threatening to kill her,” Ms Fornsworth said.
The commotion caused the children to come downstairs to see what was happening.
“The defendant put down the broken glass and began punching her to her head and body, before pulling her to the floor.
“She found herself on her back and at this point the defendant began strangling her, placing both hands around her neck and squeezing tight.
“Both children then intervened, and this had some effect causing the defendant to loosen his grip,” said Ms Fornsworth.
It was then that the complainant ran naked into the night with the two children, in search of help, the court heard.
In a statement read to the court, the complainant said the incident has affected her “emotionally and psychologically.”
She described feeling racked with “anxiety and worry” that Mazarire will find her, causing her to feel a “bit unsafe” due to him knowing her address.
The complainant also detailed how she has had to become the breadwinner and take on the entirety of the caring responsibilities for their children.
Mazarire was subsequently charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm in connection with the attack, which he pleaded guilty to on the first day of his trial.
He also admitted a charge of common assault, in connection with an incident in which he “forcefully” pushed another victim.
Defending, Chris Aspinall said Mazarire is “extremely saddened” by what he has done, and has “consistently expressed remorse.”
The court heard how Mazarire had joined the complainant in England, after leaving his home country of Zimbabwe.
Mr Aspinall told the court that Mazarire is “here legitimately" adding that he has struggled to understand some of the “societal expectations” in this country.
Judge Slater responded: “In Zimbabwe it’s okay to go around strangling your wife in front of your children is it?”
Mr Aspinall told the court that Mazarire spent around two months in custody, between his arrest in February 2025 through to April 2025, and found it “incredibly difficult” due to being unable to speak English.
Mazarire, continued Mr Aspinall, has used the five months that have passed since his release from custody productively, and has managed to obtain work in a factory despite the language barrier.
Mr Aspinall referred Judge Slater to recommendations made in Mazarire’s pre-sentence report, suggesting the best course of action would be to hand him a suspended sentence order with “onerous” requirements.
Judge Slater questioned whether Mazarire would be able to effectively work with the probation service, given his struggles with the language barrier.
Mr Aspinall responded by saying the probation service believed they could work with Mazarire on a one-to-one basis, and suggested assistance from an interpreter may be arranged.
Judge Slater sentenced Mazarire to two years’ custody, suspended for two years, and ordered him to complete a 60-day rehabilitation activity requirement.
Explaining his reasoning for stepping back from sending Mazarire straight to custody as he had originally intended, Judge Slater said: “Until I heard you had served for the first time a short time on remand of two months…I had no doubt in my mind that the inevitable prison sentence should be immediate.
“On April 22 you were granted bail…Mr Aspinall tells me you found the experience particularly difficult.”
“With someone with as little English as you I can understand the difficulties you would have encountered.”
“Since being released you have secured a full-time job, which is to your credit, and would be inevitably lost if you were sent away today.”
Judge Slater warned Mazarire, however: “If you reoffend or do not complete the order, you will be brought back to court and resentenced…there will only be one place you are going, and that will be to serve a prison term. So make sure you keep out of trouble.”
Judge Slater also granted a restraining order, prohibiting Mazarire from contacting the complainant and their children indefinitely, with contact with the latter only permitted with the permission of the family courts.