Bangladeshi Man Convicted of Murder in UK - Stabbing Wife in Public Following Refuge Tracking

A man has been found guilty of murder after fatally stabbing his wife in a public street in front of their infant son, having tracked her to a women’s refuge in Bradford, Uk.

Habibur Masum, 26, of Leamington Avenue, Burnley, stabbed 27-year-old Kulsuma Akter more than 25 times while she was pushing their seven-month-old child in a pram. The infant was physically unharmed during the attack, which occurred in April 2024.

The trial at Bradford Crown Court heard that Ms Akter had been residing in a refuge since January after Masum previously held a knife to her throat at their shared residence in Oldham. On the day of the incident, she had left the refuge to meet a friend, under the belief that Masum was in Spain. However, he had tracked her whereabouts via her mobile phone and confronted her in the city centre.

CCTV footage presented in court showed Masum attempting to seize control of the pram and direct Ms Akter away. When she resisted, he produced a knife from his jacket and launched a violent attack. Prosecutors described the assault as “ferocious,” with Masum stabbing her repeatedly before calmly walking away. He was later seen on surveillance cameras smiling as he boarded a bus.

Following the attack, Masum fled nearly 200 miles to Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, prompting a nationwide search. He was apprehended in the early hours of 9 April in a hospital car park, where he had sought treatment for "lockjaw."

The court was told that in the days preceding the murder, Masum had been observed loitering in the vicinity of the refuge. He had also sent threatening messages to Ms Akter, warning he would harm her relatives unless she returned to him. Further, he impersonated a local GP practice by sending her deceptive texts claiming their son had a medical appointment and issuing increasingly severe threats if she did not attend.

Masum, who gave testimony via a Bengali interpreter, claimed he could not recall committing the murder and stated that he carried the weapon with the intention of self-harm if Ms Akter refused to reconcile. He alleged that she told him he was replaceable as a father, a claim prosecutors argued was implausible given her awareness of his violent tendencies.

Masum admitted to manslaughter and possession of a bladed article but was ultimately convicted of murder, as well as charges of assault by beating, making threats to kill, and stalking.

The couple had met and married in Bangladesh before relocating to the United Kingdom in 2022. Masum entered the UK on a student visa to pursue a master’s degree, and the couple initially lived apart before moving in together in Oldham in September 2022.

Ms Akter had previously left the home in July 2023 to stay with her brother due to Masum’s controlling behaviour but returned following threats of self-harm. In November 2023, Masum became jealous over a harmless message from a male colleague and subsequently held a knife to her throat. After this incident, she was moved to the Bradford refuge in January 2024, following police intervention.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) conducted a nine-month investigation into Ms Akter’s prior interactions with West Yorkshire Police and Greater Manchester Police. The investigation concluded that there was no indication that any officers or staff breached professional standards.

Emily Barry, IOPC Director, stated that the findings have been shared with both police forces and the coroner to inform future inquest proceedings. However, the full findings will not be publicly released until the inquest is complete.

Detective Chief Inspector Stacey Atkinson of West Yorkshire Police remarked on the gravity of the incident, stating that Ms Akter “suffered a brutal attack in broad daylight whilst her baby son was in his pram” and emphasized that she “should have been safe.” She expressed hope that the conviction would offer some sense of justice to the bereaved family.

Masum is scheduled to be sentenced on 22 July.