A man who stabbed his wife to death in a “ferocious“ murder on Easter Sunday will spend at least 14 years and seven months in prison.
Altaf Hossain, 54, attacked his wife Syeda Nirupama inside the garage of their Minto home, southwest of Sydney, on April 21, 2019.
The 34-year-old was stabbed more than 80 times to her face, neck, back and chest and suffered defensive wounds to her arms, following an argument with her husband in the middle of the night.
Watch the latest news and stream for free on 7plus >>
Hossain pleaded guilty to one count of murder over the attack last year.
On Tuesday, he faced the Supreme Court of NSW where was sentenced to 19 years and six months in prison with a non-parole period of 14 years and seven months.
Justice Nicholas Chen described the attack as one of “considerable ferocity”.
“It is apparent that the offender acted with a very great degree of violence towards Miss Nirupama,” he said in sentencing Hossain, who was sitting in the dock dressed in prison greens.
“The stabbing extended … across a considerable part of her body, including her chest, neck, face, arms and back.
“The attack was ferocious … there can be no doubt that she met her death in horrific and terrifying circumstances and, given the defensive wounds she suffered, must have experienced not only pain but terror in the final moments of her life.”
Following the murder, Hossain called an associate, who visited the home with his partner.
They found Nirupama dead inside the garage, with a large amount of blood inside the house, including bloody footprints in the kitchen, laundry and a bedroom.
Hossain told them: “I killed her”.
When emergency services arrived at the scene just after 4am, Nirupama was pronounced dead.
A knife, which had its tip broken off, was found at the scene. The tip of the knife was later found inside Nirupama’s mouth during a post-mortem examination.
The court also heard two days before the murder, Hossain spoke to his wife’s brother and told him: “the relationship … is not going good … I can’t tolerate her much … sometimes if I become angry … a thought come to my mind of killing her”.
The brother also recalled Hossain said: “Because of things going on at home, I don’t know what will happen, I may kill her. I may kill her and commit suicide or I will just commit suicide on my own.”
Justice Chen said he accepted the murder was not premeditated, but that it was not entirely spontaneous either.
“The offender went from the garage to the kitchen to arm himself … he persisted with his attack upon her,” he said.
Despite his admissions to killing his wife and his early guilty plea, Chen said he was not satisfied Hossain was remorseful.
The court was told Hossain was suffering from a depressive illness at the time of the murder and had been seeing a psychiatrist since 2012.
Justice Chen also accepted Hossain’s time in custody will be more onerous, and he has received threats behind bars, but he stopped short of making a finding of special circumstances.
Hossain’s sentence was reduced by 25 per cent due to his early guilty plea. If he had not pleaded guilty, he would have been sentenced to a term of 26 years in prison.
The 54-year-old has been in custody since his arrest on the day of the murder and his sentence was backdated to that date.
He will be eligible for parole in November 2033.
If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au.
If you need help in a crisis, call Lifeline on 13 11 14. For further information about depression contact beyondblue on 1300224636 or talk to your GP, local health professional or someone you trust.
