Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. A Zimbabwean national, Ashley Simbarashe Maparura (34), was recently granted leave to remain in the United Kingdom despite several convictions for drugs and violence.
He has appeared in court yet again on weapons charges.
As reported by the Northamptonshire Telegraph, Maparura appeared before Northampton Crown Court this week on weapons charges where the court heard that he has 68 previous convictions committed across several counties.
It is alleged that on 16 February 2024, at 1.50 AM, CCTV operators in Corby spotted two men behind the shops in Gainsborough Road, Corby.
Maparura, of Nether Jackson Court, Northampton, was allegedly carrying a hammer and his colleague Reece Cruickshank was carrying a wrench.
The court heard that the CCTV operators followed the men on their screens as they caused a “commotion”. They were then seen running away from the scene.
Initially, Maparura and his companion were accused of an attempted robbery but the victim declined to cooperate with the investigation.
As a result, only charges of possession of offensive weapons were brought before the court. He gave a no-comment interview to police.
Prosecutor Carrie-Ann Garness also told Judge Rupert Mayo about a separate offence committed in February 2023.
During that incident, Maparura was arrested on other matters and was found to be carrying a twisted cigarette between his penis and testicles containing heroin and cocaine for personal use.
The court heard that his record includes robbery, supplying and smuggling drugs and drug dealing, committed across several different counties.
The court also heard that Maparura was found guilty of knife possession in 2017. He also has five convictions for failing to comply with court orders.
In 2018, he was jailed for 16 weeks for shoplifting and cannabis possession. While serving that sentence he was again jailed for hitting a motorist with a hammer but he denied that element of the charge.
Maparura was also convicted of possession of cocaine in 2019.
In July 2019 Maparura stole two vacuum cleaners at Curry’s in Kettering and poured a clear substance outside the store, which turned out to be an incapacitant spray. He was jailed for a year.
In 2020 he was jailed again for smuggling drugs into a detention centre.
The same year, he was jailed for ramming into police cars that were chasing him.
Then in July 2022, he was given a three-year sentence for controlled drugs offences and breaching a suspended sentence order.
In July 2023 he was jailed for 31 weeks for possession of a hammer and a meat cleaver.
After his release, in October 2023 Maparura was jailed for 16 weeks for possession of cannabis, pregabalin, diazepam and zopiclone.
On November 23 he was given a suspended sentence at Northampton Magistrates’ Court for possession of an offensive weapon.
But just weeks later he was in Corby and committing the latest offence.
Maparura’s lawyer, Rajesh Pabary, told the court that his client had children aged 10, 11, and 12 but admitted he had a “long and extensive history of offending.” He said:
This is partially to do with drugs and partially to do with funding himself as he was not initially allowed to work when he arrived in this country.
Pabary told the court that “the situation resolved itself two months ago” when he was given leave to remain in the UK. This means Maparura can now find legitimate work.
His lawyer also said he had managed to get clean from drugs while in prison and was attempting to gain his forklift ticket and “turn around his life” and wanted to apologise for his actions. Judge Mayo said:
The courts take any public display of weapons very seriously when they’re brandished or used to present a threat to people out and about. You have a dreadful record for using weapons.
You have been an asylum seeker since you arrived from Zimbabwe and I am glad that you have now been allowed to remain in this country but during that time you have amassed a huge amount of antecedents and have been gripped by drugs. This is a dreadful catalogue of serious convictions.
He gave Maparura a jail term of one year and four months.
Meanwhile, Reece Cruickshank, of Manor Meadows, Fotheringhay Road, Tansor, was charged with possession of a wrench in connection with the same incident.
He has pleaded guilty but was unable to be sentenced this week as he had no legal representation. He is set to be sentenced on May 28.
It is not known why Maparura was granted asylum. Still, Zimbabwe has a dreadful human rights record, with hundreds of opposition political activists forced to flee into exile to avoid imprisonment or abduction, torture and death.
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