Syed Ahmad to be Sentenced for Wife's Murder Amid Conflicting Accounts of Abuse and Psychosis
Anam Rafay suffered 40 stab wounds in Manchester home attack; husband claims self-defence and 'psychotic episode'.
Image: Eddie Pollard / AI
Carla Rooney
Syed Ahmad will face sentencing on Friday, July 31, for the murder of his wife, Anam Rafay, who died from 40 stab wounds in their Manchester home on January 27.
He consistently claimed no intent to kill his wife, asserting he suffered from 'abnormal mental functioning' at the time of the attack.
Ahmad attributed the violence to a 'psychotic episode,' stating he heard a voice that told him his wife would smash his head in.
He repeatedly claimed self-defence, stating, "Self defence, self defence, she attacked me," and later, "I was in a psychotic episode."
Mark Ford KC questioned, "Do you have any memory of stabbing your wife?" Ahmad responded, "No. Just flashbacks. Someone stabbed my wife, I think it was me."
Someone stabbed my wife, I think it was me.
The prosecution, conversely, alleges Ahmad was 'abusive, controlling and violent throughout their marriage,' a claim supported by Kirsty Tomlin.
Tomlin stated Mrs. Rafay confided that Ahmad "used to beat her up, he never helped her in the house. He just wasn't nice to her."
Mrs. Rafay reportedly told Tomlin she was unhappy in her marriage but felt trapped, stating "she couldn't leave him because he would kill her."
In September 2023, Mrs. Rafay contacted a mufti to inquire about obtaining a divorce application.
She had begun speaking to a man she met on TikTok in June 2023, with whom Mrs. Rafay had fallen in love.
Gemma Mulvaney described Ahmad's controlling behavior, stating, "He used to follow her to work in the car, but she would walk. I call it kerb crawling."
Mulvaney further detailed, "He used to drive really slowly next to her," waiting until she entered the building before leaving.
Bill Baker KC highlighted alleged mistreatment by Ahmad's family, stating, "The defendant's family promised her family that she would be treated as an actual daughter, not daughter in law."
Baker added, "They didn't do so," forcing her to do all the housework and preventing her from eating until they had finished.
The prosecution claims Mrs. Rafay had agreed to give Ahmad "one more chance to change."
These conflicting narratives of alleged domestic abuse and Ahmad's claims of a psychotic episode form the core of the ongoing legal proceedings.