Habibur Masum, 26, repeatedly stabbed his wife Kulsuma Akter, 27, after tracing her to a refuge where she had gone to escape his ‘violence, jealousy and controlling behaviour’
A YouTuber who stabbed his wife to death as she pushed their seven-month-old baby in a pram has been found guilty of murder.
Habibur Masum, 26, repeatedly stabbed Kulsuma Akter, 27, after tracing her to a refuge where she had gone to escape his “violence, jealousy and controlling behaviour”, a court heard. Mrs Akter later died in hospital after suffering more than 25 stab wounds in the attack on a street in Bradford, West Yorkshire, on April 6 last year. Days before the murder, Masum tried to lure the mum out of her accommodation by pretending to be from a GP’s surgery and offering her fake appointments.
He then sent her a photo of the refuge with a message saying: “I know that you are living in this place. I knew from the first day you moved here. If I had any wish to kill you, I could have from the first day. You do not know what you have lost but one day you will understand. Nobody will love you like I do.”
Ms Akter was walking with a friend and pushing her her seven-month-old son in a pram when she was confronted by Masum, who she thought was in Spain. CCTV footage played during a court hearing earlier this month showed Masum stopping Ms Akter, spinning her and the pram around and pulling a knife from his jacket.
Prosecutor Steven Wood KC said: “He grabs Kulsuma and pushes her into a wall, stabbing her to the body. You will see that Kulsuma then goes to the ground only for the defendant to launch a ferocious and deadly attack.
“When the defendant had finished stabbing her, as a final act of sheer gratuitous violence, he kicks Kulsuma before moving away, but not before ensuring that he disposed of the knife,” he added.
Masum, originally from the city of Sylhet in eastern Bangladesh, studied for a masters in digital marketing at the University of Bedfordshire, and would share travel vlogs on YouTube documenting his “adventures” and life in the UK.
Bradford Crown Court heard Masum had previously held a knife to his wife’s throat and threatened to kill her, while Ms Akter told a social worker she “believed that one day her husband would kill her.”
Giving evidence through a Bengali interpreter, Masum told the jury he went to find his wife because he was “still optimistic” he could repair the marriage. If that failed, his plan was to then “kill myself in front of her”. The 26-year-old sobbed as he said “I totally lost control.”
He previously denied murdering Ms Akter but pleaded guilty to manslaughter and possession of a knife. He also denied two charges of assault, one count of making threats to kill and one charge of stalking. Masum had no visible reaction as the verdicts were read out at Bradford Crown Court on Friday. He is due to be sentenced on July 22.
Speaking after the verdit, West Yorkshire Police’s senior investigating officer Detective Chief Inspector Stacey Atkinson said: “Kulsuma suffered a brutal attack in broad daylight whilst her baby son was in his pram. Masum carried out the murder then calmly walked away as if nothing had happened. He left the scene and made his way out of the city to try and escape justice.
“Kulsuma’s family have been left absolutely devastated by her death, I hope today’s conviction will bring them a sense of justice in knowing that the man responsible for her death has been found guilty.”