A prison officer who survived a violent ambush has released doorbell-camera footage showing the moment her ex-partner attacked her with a Stanley knife as she left for work, authorities said.
Rosie Niessen, 28, suffered deep cuts to her throat, face, neck and hands when Simon Scrimshaw, 50, hid in bushes outside her home in Hucknall, Nottinghamshire, and waited for her to leave on the morning of March 14, 2023. Scrimshaw was convicted in January 2024 at Nottingham Crown Court of attempted murder and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and was sentenced to 28 years in prison with an additional four-year extension to his licence on grounds of dangerousness. The judge also imposed a lifetime restraining order preventing him from contacting Niessen.
Niessen said Scrimshaw wore a balaclava and hid in the bushes for about 40 minutes before the attack, which occurred at roughly 6:40 a.m. as she left for work. A neighbour who witnessed the assault called police. Niessen's father intervened and sustained a wound to his leg while trying to defend his daughter; police arrested Scrimshaw at the scene.
During a two-week trial, Scrimshaw denied the charges, but jurors found him guilty after reviewing evidence that included the doorbell-camera footage and witness testimony, the court heard. Prosecutors said the injuries were severe and that the assault bore the hallmarks of a premeditated ambush.
Niessen, a mother of a seven-year-old daughter, said she had met Scrimshaw in 2017 and that their relationship was intermittent. She said she became pregnant soon after they first met and that the pair rekindled their relationship in 2018 before she left him at the end of 2022. She had applied to the family court for an order to keep him away, and the pair were due to appear there two days after the attack.
"He hid in the bushes for 40 minutes. What kind of person does that?" Niessen said in a statement accompanying the released footage. She described the moment of the attack: "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." She said she instinctively protected her neck and fought back.
Emergency responders found Niessen bleeding heavily at the scene. "They said I was in a pool of blood. They didn't know if I was going to make it," she said. She has been unable to return to work and has spoken publicly about the physical and psychological scars left by the assault.
The sentencing judge told Scrimshaw that the offence was of exceptional seriousness and that the defendant posed a continuing danger to the public. In addition to the custodial term and licence extension, the lifetime restraining order bars him from contacting Niessen.
Niessen said she hoped releasing the footage would help other victims of domestic violence or stalking recognise the risks and seek help. "Stay strong. No one who loves you should lay a finger on you," she said. She added that she struggles with the aftermath of the attack but refuses to give up: "I don't believe I'm beautiful. But I won't give up."
Police and court records show the case was investigated and prosecuted amid increased attention to stalking and domestic abuse in the United Kingdom. Campaigners and officials have urged survivors to report threats and suspicious behaviour, noting that early intervention can prevent escalation. Niessen's decision to publish the doorbell footage echoes calls by some victims and charities to use recordings as evidence in prosecutions.
Scrimshaw remains in custody serving his sentence. The lifetime restraining order and the extended licence period mean he will face further supervision and restrictions if released in the future. Niessen continues to recover and has stepped away from her job while undergoing physical and emotional rehabilitation.