Syed Ahmad, 45, has admitted murdering his wife Anam Rafay at their home in Wythenshawe on 27 January this year. He stabbed her 40 times in a brutal attack after she told him she wanted a divorce.
Attack and guilty plea
Mrs Rafay suffered stab wounds to her neck, body, arms and legs and died from a cardiac arrest. Ahmad initially denied murder, claiming he did not intend to kill her and was suffering from 'abnormal mental functioning'. He said he 'heard a voice' telling him his wife would smash his head in and acted in self-defence. However, after two weeks of trial at Manchester Crown Court, he pleaded guilty to murder. He will be sentenced on Friday, 31 July.
Controlling marriage
Prosecutor Bill Baker KC said the couple had an arranged marriage in Pakistan in 2005, when Mrs Rafay was 16 and Ahmad was 25. Mrs Rafay lived in Pakistan with her family, while Ahmad lived in the UK. The defendant's family promised she would be treated as a daughter, but instead she was made to do all the housework and was not allowed to eat until they finished.
Former colleagues described Ahmad as abusive and controlling. He would follow her to work, driving slowly beside her, and managed her money. One colleague, Kirsty Tomlin, said Mrs Rafay had called him 'horrible' and 'evil' and had said 'she couldn't leave him because he would kill her'.
Plans to leave
In June last year, Mrs Rafay began speaking to a man on TikTok, became friendly, went on city trips and fell in love with him. In September she contacted a divorce mediator and served a divorce application on Ahmad in October. He asked for mediation, and she gave him 'one more chance to change', but he did not.
The night before the attack, Mrs Rafay again told Ahmad she wanted a divorce. The next morning, as she filled a water bottle in the kitchen, Ahmad came up behind her with a kitchen knife and repeatedly stabbed her. She managed to get up and seek help next door, but he chased her and continued stabbing. Neighbours saw him stabbing her on the ground before walking back to the house, reportedly smiling or smirking. He then sent a message to family WhatsApp groups saying, 'I have killed my wife.'
Arrest and evidence
In arrest footage, Ahmad said, 'I'm truly sorry', but later claimed self-defence. His barrister, Mark Ford KC, asked if he accepted killing his wife. Ahmad replied, 'I was in a psychotic episode,' adding he had flashbacks and thought he stabbed her. He pleaded guilty to murder after giving evidence, and the jury recorded a formal verdict of guilty.
