LONDON: A youth has been found guilty of stabbing his wife to death in front of their child. The incident happened at Bradford in England in April 2024. Habibur Rahman Masum (26) of Bangladesh stabbed his wife Kulsuma Akter (27) more than 25 times in broad daylight. Bradford Crown Court said the offender was found guilty of murder after a trial. Habibur was convicted of murder, assault, threats and persistent stalking.

The couple lived in Oldham area. However, in January 2024, the woman and child left their home after Habibur threatened them with a knife and were living in a refuge center. Kulsuma went out with her child to meet a friend, thinking that Habibur was in Spain. However, Habibur, who arrived at the scene after learning the woman's phone location, tried to forcefully take the woman and the child away. When the woman resisted, he stabbed her to death with a knife he was carrying. CCTV footage of him calmly boarding the bus after the incident was released. Lawyers described him in court as the 'smiling killer'. The accused was arrested in Mandeville on April 9.

The couple got married in Bangladesh. The two came to the UK in 2022 after Habibur got a student visa to do Masters. They started living together in Oldham in September. After Habibur imposed strict restrictions, Kulsuma went to her brother's house in 2023. However, she returned after Habibur threatened to commit suicide. In November 2023, Habibur threatened to kill his wife with a knife over a message sent by a colleague. The youth’s sister later informed the police and Habibur was arrested. Kulsuma then moved to a shelter in Bradford in January 2024.

During trial, the lawyer told court that he did not even allow his wife to apply makeup or drink tea. He did not like tea and so he didn’t allow her to drink that. The court also found that he constantly checked his wife's phone and threatened her. Habibur, who holds a master's degree in digital marketing from the University of Bedfordshire, shared travel vlogs and other features on YouTube.