British court imprisons Pakistani man for stabbing wife over learning English

Nazakat Ali, a Pakistani man has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for stabbing his wife 15 times over her desire to take English lessons.

According to the Daily Mail, Ali, 30, and his wife, Shahzana Kausar, 27, residents of Rochdale, England, got into a heated argument over her wish to enroll at a college for English lessons, which concluded with the husband stabbing the wife with a kitchen knife, in the presence of his mother.

Following the attack on 29^th September 2014, Ali fled the scene but turned himself in the next day.

Shahzana was taken to the hospital and treated for the several injuries she suffered, mainly in her neck, collarbone, ribs, abdomen and a severed artery. Though recovering, she is still undergoing surgical treatment.

The couple is said to have known each other for 16 years, had gotten married in 2005 and moved to UK in 2008.

Ali’s mother stated that the couple had been abusive towards each other and Ali stabbed his wife when she ran at him.

According to the prosecutor Mark Kellet, the heated argument turned into shouting and yelling which prompted Ali to slap Shahzana. Upon Ali not returning her phone so she could call her sister or the police, Shahzana left the house to walk to her sister’s address but was followed by Ali. Attempting to avoid public interference and plea for help by Shahzana, Ali apologized and both returned to home.

With Ali’s mother in the kitchen, Shahzana told Ali to never behave in the similar way again and threatened to leave him, which infuriated Ali into knocking her down with a punch and stabbing her with a kitchen knife.

In 2009, Ali was also convicted for being a part of a burglary where he and his accomplice gagged a 40-year-old and threatened her and her baby with a screwdriver in their home.

However, Defense lawyer Ian Harris defended by calling the case one of a loss of temper and that it occurred in the heat of the moment. Moreover, when Ali’s family visited him, he was in tears over what he did.

The judge, however, labelled Ali ‘a dangerous man’ and said that there was a significant risk of serious harm from his possible future offences.

Following the verdict, detective sergeant Louise Ashurst called the case one of the horrific she has seen, that the first officer on the scene thought Shahzana was dead because of her injuries.

“But the victim was strong and brave, and I hope this sentence goes some way to helping her overcome what has happened,” She said, as Shahzana had contemplated self-harm after the attack as the incident had drastically affected her life.