"I'm terrified they have returned to finish me off."
A young married couple have been sentenced to a combined 24 years in prison after attempting to murder the husband’s stepmother in a premeditated attack at her Birmingham home.
Wasif Hussain, aged 21, and his wife Nabela Tabassum, aged 19, wore giraffe animal masks as they launched a brutal assault on Arifa Nazmin in Kings Norton on January 29, 2024.
Armed with a knife and hammer, the couple left the victim with multiple injuries after a “frenzied” attack that was captured on CCTV.
The two denied attempted murder but were convicted following a trial at Birmingham Crown Court in March 2025.
On June 20, Hussain was sentenced to 15 years in prison, while Tabassum received a nine-year term.
The court heard that Hussain struck Ms Nazmin on the head with a hammer before stabbing and strangling her, while Tabassum restrained her.
The victim sustained stab wounds to her arms and hands as she tried to defend herself.
Despite her injuries, Ms Nazmin persuaded the couple to let her go upstairs, where she locked herself in a room and called emergency services.
In a victim impact statement, she said: “I still panic when the door is knocked, I can feel the fear in my body. I’m terrified they have returned to finish me off. I will live with this for the rest of my life.”
The pair fled Birmingham immediately after the attack, but were arrested in Bolton in the early hours of the following day.
Detectives believe the motive stemmed from tensions in the household.
The couple were reportedly asked to leave after complaints of not contributing to chores and treating the house “like a hotel”. That request is thought to have triggered the violent outburst.
Prosecutor Rob Forrest told the court: “This was a planned attempt to kill Ms Nazmin in her own home.
“That attack took place against a background of broken-down familial relations.”
Evidence presented during the trial included CCTV footage from inside the home and footage showing the couple purchasing two giraffe masks from Poundland on the day of the attack.
They were also seen buying an aerosol can two days earlier, which the prosecution alleged was part of a plan to burn the victim’s body.
The court also heard that Hussain lost his mother to suicide at age seven and blamed his father, who began a relationship with Ms Nazmin shortly before her death.
His barrister, Andreas O’Shea, said there had been “some difficulties” between Hussain and the victim, which he had “taken to heart”. He described the 21-year-old as “remorseful and regretful”.
Tabassum’s defence lawyer, Islam Khan, said she too was “sincerely” remorseful for her involvement in the crime.
Detective Inspector Laura Allen from West Midlands Police said:
“The two will spend many years behind bars, highlighting to anyone who acts in this way that they will be arrested, charged and brought before the courts.
“This was a calculated and frenzied attack on a defenceless woman using weapons including a knife and hammer.”
“She was very lucky to have survived this attack.
“I would like to thank Sgt Gareth Glass who worked tirelessly along with his team to gather vital evidence which ultimately led to Hussain and Tabassum’s conviction.
“My thoughts are with the victim who continues to recover from the trauma of her experience.”
During sentencing, Judge Paul Farrer KC said: “I have no doubt you were both well aware that what you embarked upon was seriously wrong.
“This was an offence committed against a particular background by two young, immature individuals who are unlikely to commit serious incidents of violence again.”
Hussain was jailed for 15 years. His wife was jailed for nine years.
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