Sylheti Woman's Tragic Murder: Husband Jailed for 28 Years in Brutal Stabbing

Habibur Masum, a 27-year-old man originally from Sylhet, Bangladesh, has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 28 years for the brutal murder of his estranged wife, Kulsuma Akter, 24, also from Sylhet. The horrific incident occurred in broad daylight in April 2024, as Ms. Akter pushed their seven-month-old son in a pram in Bradford city centre.

Masum was found guilty of murder following a trial at Bradford Crown Court. The court heard how he meticulously tracked Ms. Akter to a women's refuge in Bradford, where she had sought safety after a prior incident of domestic abuse at their home in Greater Manchester, during which he held a knife to her throat.

A Calculated and "Ferocious" Attack

The prosecution described Masum's actions as "callous" and "shocking." Marie Walsh of the Crown Prosecution Service highlighted that Masum was a "violent and dangerous man who subjected his estranged wife to violence and domestic abuse causing her to flee their home to live in a safehouse."

Evidence presented during the trial revealed Masum's persistent and menacing behaviour. He located Ms. Akter through her phone's location services and loitered around the refuge, sending her chilling messages threatening to harm her family if she did not return to him. He even attempted to lure her out by sending fake messages from a local GP practice, falsely claiming their son had an appointment.

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Ms. Akter, tragically, believed it was safe to leave the refuge on April 6, 2024, after Masum updated his Facebook page, falsely claiming he was in Spain. As she walked with a friend, pushing their baby, Masum confronted her.

CCTV footage captured the horrifying moment Masum stabbed Ms. Akter at least 25 times. Jurors were shown footage of Masum calmly walking away from the scene, leaving his wife bleeding to death and their infant son behind. He was later seen on CCTV grinning as he boarded a bus, seemingly convinced he had evaded capture.

The Aftermath and Capture

Masum travelled nearly 200 miles south to Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. He was apprehended in the early hours of April 9, 2024, in a car park near Stoke Mandeville Hospital, where he had gone to receive treatment for "lockjaw."

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The court was told that the relationship between Masum and Ms. Akter was deeply abusive, characterized by Masum's "jealousy, possessiveness and controlling behaviour." The couple had met and married in Bangladesh before moving to the UK in 2022 after Masum obtained a student visa and enrolled in a Masters course in marketing. They settled in Oldham in September 2022.

The precipitating event for Ms. Akter's escape to the refuge occurred on November 23, 2023. Masum, consumed by jealousy over a "completely innocuous" message Ms. Akter received from a male colleague, held a knife to her throat. Following his arrest, Ms. Akter made the courageous decision to leave him and was moved to the Bradford refuge by Oldham social services in January 2024.

Family's Heartbreaking Statement

Kulsuma Akter's family issued a poignant statement following the sentencing, expressing their profound grief and unwavering anger. "Kulsuma was a much-loved daughter, sister, aunt and mother. Her loss has left a gaping hole in the lives of all her family and friends," they said.

They continued, "We have been left with a profound sense of emptiness and a deep and painful void in our lives. She was a loving, caring and kind soul with a generous nature, and touched the lives of everyone she came into contact with. As a family we miss her beautiful smile which would light up any room she entered. We will miss her humour, her kindness and her love."

The family vehemently refused to name Masum, referring to him only as "the monster who savagely took Kulsuma from not only us, but also from her baby son." They emphasized the immense loss for their son, who "will never know her beauty and her kindness. He will never know his mother, other than the memories we as a family will share with him as he grows. He is the only light in all this darkness and Kulsuma radiates throughout him."

While acknowledging the judicial process, the family stressed that "no amount of time in prison will change the life sentence he has inflicted upon us all. No family should have to endure the pain and heartache we have had to endure since he took Kulsuma’s life so horrifically. We can only try and keep her memory alive by continuing to love her and to remember her name."