Met Police
A gambler stabbed his wife to death in front of their two-year-old son then left the boy with his mother's body while he fled.
Sheikh Islam, 36, stabbed his wife Rushna Begum, 28, in their council flat in Bromley-by-Bow, east London, after she confronted him about his £90,000 addiction.
At the Old Bailey yesterday, Islam pleaded guilty to murder and was ordered to serve a minimum term of 14 and a half years in prison.
The court heard that Islam had been married to Rushna for 10 years and they had two sons together, but their relationship turned violent as he gambled the family's money away.
Islam had made death threats to his wife and shortly before she was killed, Rushna had contacted police about her husband's abuse and also visited a domestic violence centre after being threatened with a knife.
The addict had gambled away up to £90,000 during the marriage, including the profits he made from selling his takeaway shop in East Ham and a small kiosk, prosecutor Peter Kyte QC said. The family was £30,000 in debt and had been taken to court by creditors.
Rushna complained to her housing manager about her husband's threatening behaviour, saying she was 'extremely concerned' about her safety and the safety of her children.
She told the housing manager that her husband had threatened to kill her on 'numerous occasions'.
On May 25 2011, the day of the murder, Islam refused to take a phone call from Rushna's mother and the couple started to argue, said defence lawyer Jane Bickerstaff.
Islam claimed his wife said 'I have broken my promise to you' during the argument, which he interpreted as meaning that she had been unfaithful.
He then stabbed her and claimed he thought his son was at nursery, before traveling to see relatives in Luton. Islam arrived crying and trembling and asked his cousin to phone the police.
When he was arrested the same day he said: "I love my wife, I want to die."
Police found the young child alone in the flat 'crying' and discovered a bloodied knife in the bin.
The child told police: "Mummy couldn't answer the phone because she is sleeping."
Judge Brian Barker, the Common Serjeant of London, said gambling 'had got the better' of Islam and said the addiction led to his 'downfall, misery and finally disaster'.