Author: JESSICA GREEN FOR MAILONLINE
An Iranian immigrant has admitted to murdering his wife by stabbing her multiple times with a kitchen knife – three days after she refused to support his application to remain in the UK.
Dana Abdullah inflicted the fatal wounds on mother-of-four Avan Najmadeen before covering her body in a solvent and leaving her to die at her home in Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent, on October 1.
The 35-year-old, who claimed to have been tortured in Iraq, then washed the weapon in the sink and put it back where he found it, Stafford Crown Court heard.
Three days prior, Ms Najmadeen, 32, had asked the couple’s shared solicitor not to co-operate with Abdullah’s immigrant application.
The court heard Ms Najmadeen had deliberately moved address on a number of occasions so the defendant did not know where she was living.
Following proceedings through a Kurdish interpreter, Abdullah, of no fixed address, spoke only to confirm his name and his guilty plea.
A previous hearing at the same court was told how Abdullah had claimed he suffered from PTSD after being tortured in Iraq.
On Tuesday, prosecutor Andrew Smith QC said: ‘The Crown’s case is this was a planned, pre-meditated killing – the reasons being she did not support his case in relation to immigration.
‘A knife in the kitchen had been used, washed, and put back.’
During the 30-minute hearing on Tuesday, Judge Michael Chambers QC said: ‘The defendant had made a considered decision to murder his wife and had gone there to do that.’
Abdullah’s defence barrister Charles Miskin QC conceded it was not in dispute that it was a planned killing.
Adjourning sentence until April 1 at the same court, the judge told Abdullah: ‘You have had the courage to plead guilty to this matter and will get appropriate credit for that in due course.
‘Sentence is going to be adjourned until 10am on April 1 – but in the meantime you must remain in custody’.
The turpentine-based substance and Ms Najmadeen’s mobile phone were not recovered from the scene.
Police launched a murder probe after the body of Ms Najmadeen was discovered at her home after she failed to turn up at school to pick up her children.
Teachers raised the alarm and officers forced their way into the property she shared with her four sons, believed to be between four and 11 years old.
Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6696625/Iranian-immigrant-admits-murdering-wife-refused-support-application-remain-UK.html
