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A woman caught the moment her ex slashed her throat on her doorbell camera after he hid in the bushes and waited for her to leave for work.
Rosie Niessen, 28, left for work as a prison officer when her ex-partner, Simon Scrimshaw, then 50, came up behind her, wielding a Stanley knife.
He slashed her throat and hacked her face, neck, and hands as she fought back.
Luckily, Rosie’s dad, Roberto Niessen, 55, a doorman, heard her screams and came to her rescue, but suffered a gash on his leg.
Scrimshaw was found guilty in January 2024 of attempted murder and grievous bodily harm and sentenced to 28 years in prison at Nottingham Crown Court.
Rosie, who is now out of work, from Hucknall, said: “He hid in the bushes for 40 minutes. What kind of person does that?
“I could hear rustling. I was in shock.
“I went to turn around, and he grabbed my head, pulled it back, and sliced my neck.
“He took me down to the floor.”
Rosie met Scrimshaw when she was just 21 in 2017, when she bought wire from him in a scrapyard where he worked.
The mom-of-one says she was “charmed” by him despite the age gap.
Rosie said: “He was very charming. He was a womanizer.
“I thought he was the best thing since sliced bread.”
Rosie fell pregnant two months later with their daughter, now seven, and Scrimshaw ended the relationship.
But in July 2018, they rekindled their romance.
The relationship was up and down, and Rosie found the courage to leave Scrimshaw at the end of 2022.
Rosie said: “I was happy co-parenting.
“He had in his head I was meeting other men. I was single – it didn’t matter anyway.”
The pair were both due to appear at the family court two days after the attack, as Rosie had applied for a court order to keep him away from her.
On March 14, 2023, Scrimshaw hid in the bushes in a balaclava for 40 minutes – waiting for Rosie to leave for work at 6:40 a.m.
And when she did, he attacked her at the end of her drive.
Rosie’s dad heard her screams and came running out, jumping on Scrimshaw’s back but suffering a wound to his leg while trying to defend his daughter.
Rosie said, “Life flashed before my eyes.”
“It could have been different.”
“Imagine if I did die or didn’t defend myself as I did.”
“I was protecting my neck – it was instinct.”
A neighbor saw the attack and called the police, and Scrimshaw was arrested.
Rosie said, “They said I was in a pool of blood. They didn’t know if I was going to make it.”
Scrimshaw pleaded not guilty, but a two-week trial found him guilty of attempted murder and of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
Rosie said: “He’s a monster.
“He was damned with CCTV evidence. You can’t deny it.”
Scrimshaw was given a 28 year sentence and a four-year extension for dangerousness.
Rosie said: “That shocked me. I gasped.”
The judge handed Scrimshaw a lifetime restraining order not to contact Rosie.
Since the attack, Rosie has struggled with the scars she has been left with – both physically and mentally – and hasn’t been able to return to work.
She said: “I had to leave my job. He’s taken everything from me.
“I struggle that people think it’s acceptable to do that to someone.
“I don’t believe I’m beautiful.
“But I won’t give up.”
Rosie hopes sharing her story will help other victims of domestic violence or attacks.
She said: “Stay strong. No one who loves you should lay a finger on you.”
