Man jailed for life after murdering ex-partner in front of her children following campaign of stalking

Obert Moyo (28/02/1978) of Pennington Road, Bolton has today (Tuesday 30 April 2024) been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 27 years for murdering 35-year-old Perseverance Ncube.

Moyo was due to go on trial at Manchester Crown Court but changed his plea to guilty yesterday on the first day of the case.

At 2:39 am on Friday 10th November 2023 Perseverance, known as Percy, called emergency services reporting a man she knew was chasing her along Dukesgate Grove, and while on the line with the call handler, there were sounds of a disturbance before she collapsed in the street.

Within 11 minutes officers were first to arrive on scene and immediately began CPR. Percy was found unresponsive and taken to hospital, where she sadly died not long after arriving. A Home Office post-mortem confirmed Perseverance died as a result of a stab wound to her chest.

We now know the man responsible is Obert Moyo. He and Percy were in a relationship which recently ended before he murdered her.

Our investigation team followed Moyo’s movements in the evening. We obtained CCTV which captured the vicious attack witnessed by her children and collected forensic evidence tying Moyo to Percy’s murder. We found and arrested him later that morning in Bolton.

Detective Chief Inspector Gina Brennand said: “In the months leading up to Percy’s death, she was stalked by Obert Moyo. He spent hours outside her home, often in the early hours of the morning. 

“Police were unaware Percy was being stalked, and she may have not known herself, but we know this to be true from examining CCTV and his immigration electronic monitoring tag. He was, in fact, an illegal immigrant, denied asylum and on prison licence following release from a 14-year sentence for a serious assault on a previous partner. 

"Moyo is a dangerous and violent man and would not accept his relationship with Percy was over. He broke into her home while she and her children, aged just 10 and 12 at the time, slept and attacked Percy in her bedroom. Her children rushed to their mum’s aid and bravely dragged Moyo off her. 

“Moyo chased after Percy into the street and showed no mercy as he stabbed her in front of her children. 

“Until yesterday he denied murdering Percy and showed callous disregard to her family, whom he knew. 

“Percy’s children have been unbelievably brave and are supported by a close and loving family. Percy was full of life, frequently described as lighting up a room and a treasured member of her church community. 

“Today Moyo has been sentenced to life in prison, but Percy’s loss will always be felt by those who loved her.  

“Stalking is an offence we treat extremely seriously, and it can often be a precursor to some of the most horrendous crimes, as in this case.  

“We encourage anyone who believes they are being stalked to come forward so we can take proactive and robust action against suspects.

"I would also like to thank the whole team involved in securing today’s sentence."

Percy’s family described her as a ‘loving and devoted mother of two’ in an earlier tribute to her, which can be found here: Family pay tribute to a ‘loving and devoted’ mother of two who was sadly killed this morning | Greater Manchester Police (gmp.police.uk)