Woman Survives Brutal Doorstep Attack by Ex, Captured on Doorbell Camera

Rosie Niessen, 28

A prison officer was nearly killed when her ex-partner slashed her throat outside her home in a violent attack captured on her own doorbell camera.

Rosie Niessen, 28, was leaving for work in Hucknall when her former partner, Simon Scrimshaw, 50, emerged from bushes where he had been hiding for 40 minutes and lunged at her with a Stanley knife. He slashed her throat and inflicted multiple wounds to her face, neck, and hands as she desperately fought back.

Rosie Niessen 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

Her father, Roberto Niessen, 55, a doorman, rushed to her aid after hearing her screams and managed to pull Scrimshaw off her, though he suffered a deep gash to his leg during the struggle. A neighbor who witnessed the attack called police, and Scrimshaw was arrested at the scene.

In January 2024, Scrimshaw was found guilty of attempted murder and grievous bodily harm following a two-week trial at Nottingham Crown Court. He was sentenced to 28 years in prison with an additional four years for dangerousness and handed a lifetime restraining order preventing contact with Rosie.

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

Rosie, who is now unable to work, recalled the horrifying ordeal: “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. Life flashed before my eyes. Imagine if I did die or didn’t defend myself as I did.”

Rosie first met Scrimshaw in 2017 at age 21, when she bought wire at the scrapyard where he worked. Despite their age gap, she said she was charmed by him and became pregnant with their daughter two months later. Their relationship ended, but they reconciled in 2018. After years of turmoil, Rosie finally left Scrimshaw in 2022, but tensions escalated when she sought a family court order to keep him away. The pair were due in court two days after the attack.

Scrimshaw slashed her throat and hacked her face, neck, and hands as she fought back

During the ambush on March 14, 2023, Scrimshaw wore a balaclava as he lay in wait before striking at 6:40 a.m. Rosie later learned she had lost so much blood that first responders feared she might not survive.

Although Scrimshaw pleaded not guilty, CCTV evidence proved damning. Rosie said: “He’s a monster. He was damned with CCTV evidence. You can’t deny it.”

Rosie met Scrimshaw when she was just 21 in 2017, when she bought wire from him in a scrapyard where he worked

Now scarred both physically and emotionally, Rosie struggles with her recovery. “I had to leave my job. He’s taken everything from me. I don’t believe I’m beautiful. But I won’t give up,” she said.

She hopes her story inspires other survivors of domestic violence: “Stay strong. No one who loves you should lay a finger on you.”

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