Kurdish man given life sentence for murdering estranged wife in UK

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A British court on Thursday handed a life sentence to an Iranian Kurdish man convicted of murdering his estranged wife.

On Oct. 01, Dana Abdullah, 35, entered the home of Avan Najmadeen in the central English city of Stoke-on-Trent and stabbed her 50 times with a kitchen knife. Later that day, at about 5:00 p.m. local time, officers from Staffordshire Police discovered Najmadeen's body.

A mother of four, Najmadeen is reported to have been from the Kurdistan Region. Chief Inspector Victoria Downing told the BBC that she had started a new romantic relationship and had converted to Christianity.

Abdullah had previously been an asylum seeker, but was deported in 2013 after he was convicted of the sexual assault of a girl under the age of 13, The Independent reported. At the time, he was given a 15-month sentence.

He later tried to return again to the UK, but when this proved impossible, he reentered illegally.

Later, after finding out that Najmadeen had refused to support his asylum application, Abdullah killed her. He then sought to cover his tracks by attempting to start a fire or an explosion in the kitchen but was unsuccessful. He then left the city but was tracked down and arrested a day later. 

He pleaded guilty to having committed the crime in February and, according to the court ruling, must serve a mandatory minimum term of 18 years and eight months of his sentence, after which he will be eligible for parole.

Downing said the man “resented the fact his wife had moved on and was refusing to help his immigration application to stay in the country.”

“This was, on any view, a planned and pre-meditated murder involving a brutal and sustained attack using a knife, knowing full well that it would deprive four children under the age of eight of their mother,” Judge Michael Chambers QC said after passing the life sentence.

“It was motivated by you seeking retribution for her failure to support your immigration appeal against deportation as a failed asylum seeker,“ he continued. “You entered the house and it is clear from the post-mortem and forensic evidence that you subjected her to a sustained and brutal attack... You left the premises but before doing so, took significant steps in order to conceal what you had done.”

Regarding Abdullah’s previous convictions, the judge stated, “It does show that you are not someone of good character and, having been deported for that matter, you chose to come back into this country illegally and have committed this very serious crime.” 

Editing by John J. Catherine