A
Zimbabwean
asylum
seeker
who
was
jailed
for
possession
of
a
hammer
and
racked
up
more
than
60
convictions
for
drugs,
robbery
and
assault
has
been
granted
leave
to
stay
in
the
UK.
Zimbabwean
Ashley
Simbarashe
Maparura
has
amassed
a
‘dreadful
catalogue’
of
68
convictions
across
several
counties,
a
court
heard.
The
34-year-old
thug
arrived
in
the
UK
around
2017
and
quickly
became
involved
in
serious
crimes
including
drugs,
robbery
and
assault.
But
in
spite
of
his
appalling
criminal
record,
he
was
granted
leave
to
remain
in
the
country
two
months
ago.
This
week,
he
appeared
at
Northampton
Crown
Court
where
he
was
jailed
for
possession
of
a
weapon.
CCTV
operators
spotted
two
men
behind
a
row
of
shops
in
Gainsborough
Road,
Corby,
Northants.,
at
1.50am
on
February
16.
Maparura
was
carrying
a
hammer
and
his
accomplice
Reece
Cruickshank
was
holding
a
wrench.
The
operators
followed
the
men
on
their
screens
as
they
’caused
a
commotion’
before
running
away.
The
pair
were
later
arrested
on
suspicion
of
attempted
robbery
but
the
victim
refused
to
co-operate
so
they
were
charged
with
possession
of
offensive
weapons.
They
admitted
the
charges
and
Maparura,
of
Northampton,
was
jailed
for
one
year
and
four
months.
Cruickshank
will
be
sentenced
later
this
month.
Sentencing
Maparura,
Judge
Rupert
Mayo
said:
‘The
courts
take
very
seriously
any
public
display
of
weapons
when
they’re
brandished
or
used
to
present
a
threat
to
people
who
are
out
and
about.
‘You
have
a
dreadful
record
for
using
weapons.
‘You
have
been
an
asylum
seeker
since
your
arrival
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.’
The
court
heard
Maparura’s
staggering
list
of
crimes
include
being
caught
with
heroin
and
cocaine
which
were
tied
to
his
genitals.
Maprarura
appeared
at
Northampton
Crown
Court
and
was
jailed
for
possession
of
a
weapon
Carrie-Ann
Garness,
prosecuting,
said
police
stopped
him
last
February
for
another
matter
and
when
officers
searched
him
they
discovered
the
drugs
wrapped
in
a
cigarette
paper
‘between
his
penis
and
testicles.’
His
criminal
record
includes
robbery,
supplying
and
smuggling
drugs
and
drug
dealing,
committed
across
several
different
counties.
The
court
heard
that
he
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
on
licence
from
prison
he
was
jailed
for
attacking
a
motorist.
He
was
accused
of
battering
the
victim
with
a
hammer
which
he
denied.
He
was
also
convicted
of
possession
of
cocaine
in
2019.
In
July
the
same
year
Maparura
was
jailed
for
a
year
after
he
stole
two
vacuum
cleaners
from
Curry’s
PC
World
in
Kettering
armed
with
incapacitant
spray.
In
2020
he
was
jailed
again
for
smuggling
drugs
into
a
detention
centre.
The
same
year
he
was
jailed
following
a
‘night
of
madness’
where
he
rammed
into
police
cars
that
were
chasing
him.
In
July
2022
he
was
jailed
for
three
years
for
controlled
drugs
offences
and
breaching
a
suspended
sentence
order.
Last
July
he
was
jailed
for
31
weeks
for
possession
of
a
hammer
and
a
meat
cleaver.
After
his
release
last
October,
Maparura
was
jailed
for
16
weeks
for
possession
of
cannabis,
pregabalin,
diazepam
and
zopiclone.
He
was
hauled
back
to
court
on
November
23
where
he
was
given
a
suspended
sentence
for
possession
of
an
offensive
weapon.
Rajesh
Pabary,
defending,
said
that
he
had
three
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.
‘He
wants
to
apologise
for
his
actions.’
Despite
his
string
of
convictions,
Maparura
was
granted
leave
to
remain
in
the
UK,
two
months
ago
and
was
trying
to
find
work
as
a
forklift
driver.
The
Nationality
and
Borders
Act
2022
states
that
anyone
convicted
of
a
serious
crime
resulting
in
a
custodial
sentence
of
12
months
or
more,
who
is
considered
a
danger
to
the
UK,
could
be
denied
asylum.
Post
published
in:
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