Zimbabwean caught with hammer in Corby given asylum despite ‘dreadful record’ of 68 convictions for drugs, violence and blackmail

Zimbabwean Ashley Simbarashe Maparura, 34, was in court in Northampton this week for having weapons. He was allowed to stay in the UK despite doing many bad things.

He has been in trouble with the law 68 times in different places. In February, he and his friend were seen on camera causing trouble with a hammer and a wrench in Corby. They were accused of trying to steal, but the victim didn’t help the police, so they were only charged with having weapons.

In another incident in February 2023, he was caught with drugs hidden between his legs. He has done many bad things before, like stealing and selling drugs.

Maparura got permission to stay in the UK two months ago. Now he wants to find a job and stay away from drugs. He said sorry for what he did.

The judge said having and showing weapons in public is serious. Maparura has a bad history of using weapons and drugs. He got one year and four months in jail.

His friend Reece Cruickshank also had a wrench and admitted it. He will be sentenced later because he didn’t have a lawyer.

The law in 2022 said people with serious crimes could be sent back to their country. But sometimes, they can stay if it’s dangerous for them there.

We don’t know why Maparura got to stay, but Zimbabwe has had many human rights problems since 1980. The government doesn’t respect people’s rights and hurts them.