"you ambushed her, you were armed with a knife"
Mohammed Farooq, aged 55, of Handsworth, Birmingham, was jailed for 24 years after he ambushed and repeatedly stabbed his wife.
He stalked and tried to “eliminate” the victim in Erdington after she left him to escape his brutal domestic abuse.
She only survived after brave members of the public intervened.
The attack happened on April 23, 2020, in Wood End Road.
Judge Avik Mukherjee said Farooq and his wife were separated at the time as a result of his “sustained domestic violence, controlling behaviour and repeated threats”.
He said: “With that background of repeated and systematic threats to your wife, you find out where she was and where she was going on this morning.
“Frankly you ambushed her, you were armed with a knife, the only reason you would take a knife with you was to inflict serious injuries upon her.
“I’m satisfied you went to the scene to kill and you would have done so but for the commendable bravery of a number of members of the public.
“All should be rewarded by way of commendation and recognition of their bravery.
“No doubt had you been left to your own devices you would have killed your wife.
“Her body was littered with stab wounds.”
Judge Mukherjee described the “gratuitous, vicious scattering” of knife injuries to his wife.
He said her face would have been permanently disfigured if she had not put her arms up to defend herself.
The judge continued:
“I’m satisfied you stalked her. You left home armed with a knife.”
“It was a persistent, sustained attack upon a vulnerable victim, vulnerable because she was living in a refuge because of previous domestic violence at your hands.
“She was unable to escape. You took her to the floor and attacked her while on the floor and what did you do afterwards?
“You fled the scene in the most cowardly of fashions and disposed of the weapon.
“Inevitably you were stopped. But no thanks to you, thanks to the diligence and bravery of decent members of the public.
“I’m satisfied you weren’t trying to gain anything. What you were trying to do was to eliminate your wife by killing her.”
Farooq was slammed for failing to accept responsibility and failing to show any remorse. He also blamed his wife during the trial.
Judge Mukherjee concluded that the attack was “aggravated” by numerous features and added:
“The fact this was in broad daylight, in a major suburb, with people around, in the presence of CCTV cameras, makes this all the more chilling.”
He went on to say there were no mitigating factors.
Farooq was found guilty of attempted murder.
The judge praised the actions of the members of the public.
He explained that Ashley Chiltern and Laura Stokes were on their way to a family funeral but “because they are decent law-abiding citizens, saw trouble and stopped to get out and assist”.
Judge Mukherjee also praised Andrew Youster and Janucz Czernow.
He said: “It’s, without doubt, they prevented the defendant continuing with this brutal assault and had they not intervened and put themselves at risk the complainant would have been killed.”
Birmingham Mail reported that on March 26, 2021, Farooq was jailed for 24 years.
He will serve at least two-thirds in custody and was also declared “dangerous”, warranting an extended five-year licence period upon his release.
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