Syed Ahmad, 45, is accused of stabbing his wife Anam Rafay to death before allegedly 'smirking' and 'looking proud' about the killing, prosecutors told Manchester Crown Court on Monday.
Prosecution Opens Case
Bill Baker KC, opening the case for the prosecution, said that Ahmad and Rafay were married in an arranged marriage in Pakistan in 2005 when she was 16 and he was 25. Rafay had lived in Pakistan with her family, while Ahmad relocated to the UK as a child.
'It is the prosecution's case that this defendant was not a good husband. He was abusive, controlling and violent throughout almost their entire marriage,' Baker said. Ahmad denies being abusive and claims Rafay was violent toward him.
Events Leading to the Killing
In June 2025, Rafay began speaking to a man she met on TikTok who posted under the account Haroon Khan Travel. They became friendly and went on city trips; she fell in love and wanted to marry him. In September 2025, she contacted a divorce mediator in Longsight to obtain a divorce application. She served the application on Ahmad in October 2025; he replied asking for mediation. She agreed to give him 'one more chance to change,' but prosecutors allege he never did.
The night before the attack, Rafay told Ahmad she wanted a divorce. On the morning of January 27, 2026, as Rafay was filling a water bottle in the kitchen, Ahmad picked up a kitchen knife with a 15-and-a-half-inch blade and began stabbing her, the court heard.
The Attack and Aftermath
'He started stabbing her with it. She fell to the kitchen floor and he continued stabbing her whilst she lay defenceless,' Baker said. Rafay managed to get up and went next door seeking help, but Ahmad chased her and continued stabbing her on the ground. Neighbors witnessed the attack. Baker said Ahmad was seen 'walking back to the house leaving her dead or dying' and allegedly 'smile or smirk' at what he had done. 'He looked proud,' Baker added.
A post-mortem examination revealed Rafay suffered 40 stab wounds to her neck, body, arms, and legs, and died from cardiac arrest. Ahmad then sent a message to the family WhatsApp group: 'I have killed my wife.'
Defense and Trial
In arrest footage shown to the court, Ahmad was heard saying, 'I'm truly sorry, I'm truly sorry, I'm sorry,' and later, 'Self defence, self defence, she attacked me.' Ahmad, of Lulworth Gardens, Wythenshawe, denies murder and an alternate charge of manslaughter. The defense is expected to argue he did not intend to kill and was suffering from 'abnormal mental functioning' at the time. The trial is expected to last up to three weeks and continues.
