Face of knifeman who attacked his ex-partner in a jealous rage
POLICE have released a photo of Chetan Sharma, who was jailed for wounding his ex-partner, before trying to strangle her.
As the 41-year-old was given a four-year-and-one-month prison term, Judge Keith Raynor said the attack was caused by a toxic combination of “jealousy, rage and knife possession”.
Sharma, of King Street, Loughborough, had been following his former partner around the town and became angry and jealous because he believed she was seeing another man, Leicester Crown Court was told.
As reported by the Leicester Mercury on Tuesday, Chetan asked the victim to visit him at home on Monday, May 17, just “for 10 minutes”, and she agreed.
Although the victim’s relationship with Sharma ended two years earlier, they continued having contact.
During the visit, he produced a kitchen knife and lunged towards her abdomen, but she moved out of the way.
When he thrust the blade towards her again she put out her hand, causing a laceration – and the blade snapped off the handle.
Gareth Weetman, prosecuting, said: “The defendant grabbed her around the throat and started to strangle her, saying, ‘You’ve been playing with me, you’ve got somebody and this is how it’s going to end, I’ll kill you first and I’ll kill myself’. She was screaming for help.
“The strangulation was momentary because she had the presence of mind to try to calm him down by telling him she loved him.”
He then cleaned up her injured hand and bandaged it.
The police attended and the victim was taken to hospital for a wound at the base of her thumb to be stitched. It has since healed well, but she still suffers psychological effects, the court heard.
Sharma was originally charged with attempted murder, which he denied, but he admitted an alternative offence of wounding with intent.
Sharma, a factory machine operator, had not previously shown any anger towards the victim.
He had no previous convictions but was given police cautions for two domestic violence incidents in 2009 and 2012.