Zim Man Jailed 18 Years In UK After Brutal Attack On Wife In Liverpool
A Zimbabwean man has been sentenced to 18 years in prison in the United Kingdom after being convicted of attempted murder against his wife.
Louden Chagona, 50, of Snaefell Avenue, Tuebrook, was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday, 13 November 2026, after pleading guilty on 6 October. He appeared via video link with the assistance of a Shona translator.
According to the Liverpool Echo, Chagona and Abigail Chinorwadza met in Zimbabwe after the death of her first husband. They married in 2012 and later had a daughter together. Chagona later moved to South Africa where he worked for a law firm while his wife remained in Zimbabwe working in a shop.
After she was a victim of an armed robbery at the shop, Abigail decided to move to the UK. She first settled in Middlesbrough in October 2023 before moving to Liverpool for a care job, living in a studio apartment and sending $250 a month home to support her husband and daughter.
In 2025, Chagona, their daughter and Abigail’s son from her previous marriage applied for visas to move to the UK. While the older boy was unsuccessful, Chagona and their 12-year-old daughter were granted visas and arrived in April 2026. They moved into a small house in Tuebrook.
The court heard that Abigail had told her family she wanted to leave the marriage and made it clear to Chagona that she wanted no intimacy, sleeping in the double bed with her daughter while he slept in the single bed. She had been helping him look for a job.
Chagona had accused her of being unfaithful after finding a pill and a pregnancy test. The court heard she was taking the pill to regulate her menstrual flow and had taken the pregnancy test as a requirement for an anaemia blood test.
Weeks after his arrival, the court heard that Chagona pretended to have taken poison, lying on the floor with a white substance around his mouth. His daughter found him and screamed before he stood up and said it was a prank.
On the morning of 17 May 2026 at around 6am, Abigail was in the kitchen preparing to go to work. The court heard Chagona asked if she was sure she did not want to be with him. When she said no, he threatened her.
An attack then occurred in the kitchen which left Abigail with serious injuries. Their 12-year-old daughter witnessed part of the incident and ran outside screaming for help.
Neighbours called emergency services. One neighbour who was a trainee nurse came to assist. The court heard Chagona told neighbours they could call the police and later called his brother-in-law to say he had harmed his wife and was waiting for police.
Abigail was rushed to The Walton Centre and later transferred to Whiston Hospital’s burns unit where she remained as an inpatient until 10 June 2026. In her victim impact statement, she said she had been left with permanent scarring and burns to her face and body, and that the incident had affected her self-confidence and emotional wellbeing.
The court heard that as a result of her injuries she had lost her tenancy and was now living in local authority housing.
Judge Stuart Driver KC said Chagona posed a high risk of harm and ruled him a dangerous offender.
Chagona, who had no previous convictions in the UK, was sentenced to 18 years in prison with an additional five-year extended licence period. He will serve two-thirds of the sentence before being eligible for release. A restraining order was imposed preventing him from contacting his family.
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