A ZIMBABWEAN man has his knowledge of Shona and his WIFE to thank for saving him from a gun-toting Canadian HOOKER who ganged up with three friends and held him captive in his own home in a bid to extort money.

Harold Sharara, 39, had accidentally dialled his wife’s mobile minutes before the prostitute he had previously plied with gifts to solicit sex stormed his home backed by her gang in the Canadian capital of Ottawa.

When his wife called back, his mobile was turned off by his captors. And when the wife rang the landline, Sharara told them he had to take it or she would call the police.

Sharara spoke to his wife in Shona, telling her to send the police because he was in grave danger.

Catiuska Catou Charmant, 32, and Max Adrien Jeannot, 20, are on trial charged with conspiracy to extort, attempted extortion, forcible confinement and break and enter with intent in connection with the alleged May 16, 2008 incident.

Prosecutor Matthew Humphreys told a jury that they will hear that Charmant and Jeannot — along with Yves “Ice” Louis and Natasha Anderson — went to Sharara’s Blackstone Crescent home to shake him down.

“Some people chose to use their knowledge of the unfaithful and selfish actions of Mr. Sharara to extort money from him and to ensure he would not call the police,” Humphreys told the jury.

Sharara candidly admitted seeking extramarital relationships by wooing women with cash, drinks and hair extensions, but said he wasn’t successful.

He stopped seeing Charmant when it became “too demanding financially” without becoming romantic.

On the day of the incident, the father-of-two testified he was on his way to the University of Ottawa, where he is a PhD student, when he was confronted by the foursome at his home.

He was on edge because someone had been pounding on his doors and windows that morning and his house had recently been burglarised.

Louis insisted Sharara owed money to Charmant, who kept asking to be let inside for some water.

“I had a sixth sense that if we went inside the house something bad would happen,” Sharara said.

He found himself being escorted into his study with something he would later see was a pistol pressed against his neck.

There were more cash demands, threats and violence — including having his hand pistol-whipped until he dropped his phone, Sharara said. Jeannot took a knife from the kitchen which he exchanged for the gun.

At that point, Sharara’s wife came to his rescue with the timely phone call which led police to the couple’s home.