The father of a woman allegedly murdered by her husband has testified in court, describing the accused as a 'two-faced person'. Syed Ahmad, 45, is charged with the murder of his wife Anam Rafay on January 27 this year. He denies the charge and is on trial at Manchester Crown Court.
Prosecution alleges controlling and abusive behaviour
Prosecutors allege that Mr Ahmad had been 'controlling and abusive' towards Mrs Rafay before she died. The couple entered into an arranged marriage in 2005 when she was 16 years old. In September last year, she contacted a mufti, a divorce mediator, in Longsight to inquire about obtaining a divorce application after becoming involved in a relationship with another man, the jury heard. The following October, she served that application upon Mr Ahmad, who replied asking for mediation. She agreed to give him 'one more chance to change', but he never did, prosecutors allege.
Details of the alleged murder
On the morning of January 27 this year, Mrs Rafay was filling a water bottle in the kitchen when Mr Ahmad allegedly entered wielding a kitchen knife with a 15-and-a-half-inch blade. Jurors heard he then repeatedly stabbed her, before sending a message to the family WhatsApp group stating: 'I have killed my wife.'
Father's testimony
Giving evidence, Nadeem Khan told jurors that his daughter was married via arranged marriage in Pakistan in 2005 when she was 16. He said Mr Ahmad's mother was his wife's sister, and he believed she would 'treat her as her own daughter'. Speaking through an Urdu interpreter, Mr Khan said: 'They promised she would carry on with her education in the UK and that she would be taken care of. They were very abusive. She lived with the family. From the very beginning, the treatment was abusive. She did all the housework. She made all the food and served all the food. She could only eat after the whole family had finished eating and gone, and then she would sit and eat. She was instructed not to tell her parents.'
He said that upon being told by his daughter that Mr Ahmad was allegedly 'beating her', he spoke to him and Mr Ahmad apologised and 'promised he wouldn't do it again'. 'I told Anam he is not going to keep his promise. He is a two-faced person. In front of people he has a different face,' he said. 'Anam always mentioned he doesn't work, he stays at home and his behaviour is very abusive towards her. His behaviour wasn't like normal people, especially whenever he was asked to start work he would start swearing. He was very controlling and coercive behaviour, wherever she went he always had an objection. Whenever he spoke to us he would apologise and make false promises which he never kept. He would promise he would start working and earn his way.'
Divorce proceedings and final days
In January this year, Mr Khan said he asked his daughter about her divorce application, to which she told him that Mr Ahmad was given three months' notice to move out but he didn't leave. 'She said he refuses to divorce me, he keeps begging on his knees and says 'I will die without you',' Mr Khan said. He also said that he tried to persuade Mrs Rafay to stay in Pakistan when she visited, but claimed she was 'blackmailed' to come back to the UK.
Defence case
The court previously heard that Mr Ahmad accepted he killed his wife by repeatedly stabbing her. However, the defence case is likely to be that he did not intend to kill her and was suffering from 'abnormal mental functioning' at the time. Mr Ahmad, of Lulworth Gardens, Wythenshawe, denies murder and an alternate offence of manslaughter. The trial continues.
