Murder accused considered killing himself - trial

A man who stabbed his wife to death in front of their baby son in Bradford had previously told doctors he had thought about killing himself or her, a trial has heard.

Habibur Masum, 26, from Burnley, denies murdering Kulsuma Akter, 27, from Oldham, on 6 April last year, but he has admitted her manslaughter.

Mr Masum told Bradford Crown Court on Tuesday that he had met Ms Akter in their home country of Bangladesh before they got married and moved to the UK, where they lived apart.

Speaking through a translator, he explained they would argue and Ms Akter would block him on her phone, leading to his feeling depressed and suicidal: "I feared she wouldn't stay with me."

"If I can't live with her, I would die. If I took my own life I wouldn't feel the pain," he said.

The court heard the couple had married for love, and when Mr Masum had moved from Bangladesh to the UK to study a masters in marketing at the University of Bedfordshire, Ms Akter came with him as his wife.

However, the couple lived apart, with Mr Masum living in the south of England and Ms Akter staying with family in Oldham.

The court was told that on 5 August 2022, Mr Masum had travelled to Oldham after they had argued.

He said he had not eaten or slept, and was found collapsed at a tram stop by police and taken to hospital.

Once there, he told doctors he had a mental health issue and had thoughts of harming himself or Ms Akter.

The couple eventually moved in together following a marriage celebration on 7 September 2022, and their son was born a year later, the court heard.

Mr Masum has admitted the manslaughter of Ms Akter, stabbing her outside shops in Bradford as she pushed their baby in a pram.

The child was unharmed in the incident.

He has also admitted possessing a bladed article, but has denied Ms Akter's murder.

Meanwhile, Mr Masum also denies two charges of assault, one count of making threats to kill and one charge of stalking.

The trial continues.

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