Louden Chagona, 50, of Snaefell Avenue in Tuebrook, has been sentenced to 18 years in prison with an extended licence period of five years for the attempted murder of his former wife, Abigail Chinorwadza. The attack took place in the kitchen of their home on May 17 this year, when Chagona repeatedly hit her around the head with a heavy steel pot before pouring boiling water over her.
Liverpool Crown Court heard that Chagona had arrived in the UK only weeks before the attack, after successfully applying for a visa to bring his daughter from Zimbabwe to join Ms Chinorwadza. She had told him she wanted to leave the marriage because of his persistent false accusations of infidelity. In response, Chagona first threatened to kill himself, then carried out the attack.
Attack and Rescue
The court was told that at around 6am on May 17, Ms Chinorwadza was in the kitchen preparing to leave for work. Chagona came in, and after she confirmed she did not want to be with him, he said: "If you do not want me, I will kill you." He then hit her with the pot, and when she begged him to stop, he said "I want to kill you" and hit her again.
The couple's daughter, who witnessed the assault, ran downstairs and saw her father hitting her mother before going to get her phone. She ran outside, called relatives, and shouted for help from neighbours, who called the police. One neighbour recalled "seeing blood all over the floor", describing it as "an absolute blood bath". Another neighbour, a trainee nurse, saw Chagona with a can of cola, and heard him say: "If you want to call the police you can call," before adding that what Ms Chinorwadza "was doing to me was not nice".
Injuries and Aftermath
Ms Chinorwadza was rushed to the Walton Centre, where specialists found two separate brain haemorrhages, multiple facial fractures including to her eye socket, jaw and temple, and floating bone fragments that needed to be removed from her brain. She also had significant burns to 7% of her body and was taken to Whiston Hospital's burns unit, where she remained as an in-patient until June 10.
In a statement read to the court, Ms Chinorwadza described the lasting impact of the assault, including third degree burns to her forehead and left arm, as well as burns to her face, chest, head, stomach and thighs. She said her physical appearance had changed significantly and that the emotional impact had affected her self-confidence and self-image. As a result of her injuries, she lost her tenancy and is now living in local authority housing.
Sentencing
Judge Stuart Driver KC told Chagona, who appeared via prison link with the assistance of a Shona translator, that he was a dangerous offender who posed a high risk of harm to members of the public. Sentencing, he said: "You were jealous and angry when she said the relationship was over. You said you would kill her. You picked up a metal pot and hit her head very hard a number of times. She fell to the floor, you then picked up an item, probably an electric kettle, and poured boiling or very hot water onto her head."
Chagona, who pleaded guilty to attempted murder on October 6, was sentenced to 18 years in prison with an extended licence period of five years. He will serve two thirds of his sentence before being eligible for release. The judge also imposed restraining orders to prevent Chagona from contacting his family again.
