Syed Ahmad, 45, brutally attacked Anam Rafay at their home in Wythenshawe on the morning of January 27 this year13:53, 29 Jul 2026An abusive and controlling husband stabbed his wife to death in a frenzied attack after she gave him one final chance to change his ways.‌Syed Ahmad, 45, savagely attacked Anam Rafay at their home in Wythenshawe, Greater Manchester, on the morning of January 27 this year.‌A post mortem revealed Mrs Rafay suffered 40 stab wounds to her neck, body, arms and legs and died as a result of a cardiac arrest, the MEN reports.‌During a trial at Manchester Crown Court, Ahmad denied murder, claiming he did not intend to kill her and was suffering from 'abnormal mental functioning' at the time.While giving evidence, he said that he 'heard a voice which told him his wife was going to smash his head in', before asserting that he acted in self-defence. After two weeks of the trial, Ahmad pleaded guilty to murder. He is due to be sentenced on Friday (July 31).‌Bill Baker KC, prosecuting, said Ahmad and Mrs Rafay were married by way of arranged marriage in Pakistan in 2005 when she was 16 and he was 25.She had previously lived in Pakistan with her family while Ahmad lived in the UK with his family after relocating there as a child."The defendant's family promised her family that she would be treated as an actual daughter, not daughter in law. They didn't do so," Mr Baker said. "They made her do all the housework and she wasn't allowed to eat until they had finished eating."‌Ahmad was described as being "abusive, controlling and violent throughout their marriage". A former colleague of Mrs Rafay, who worked alongside her at a Manchester school from 2019, said Ahmad would make his wife feel 'uncomfortable' and controlled her finances.Describing his "strange behaviour", Gemma Mulvaney said: "He used to follow her to work in the car, but she would walk. I call it kerb crawling. He used to drive really slowly next to her."He would then wait until she entered the building and then he would leave. I asked her why he doesn't let her in the car and she said she didn't know."‌Another former colleague, Kirsty Tomlin, said Mrs Rafay had previously described Ahmad as "horrible" and "evil". "She said he used to beat her up, he never helped her in the house. He just wasn't nice to her," she said."She said she wasn't happy in her marriage. She said she couldn't leave him because he would kill her."‌Manchester Crown Court heard that in June last year, Mrs Rafay began speaking to a man she had met on TikTok.The pair grew close, embarked on trips into the city together, and Mrs Rafay went on to "fall in love with him and wanted to marry him". In September last year she reached out to a mufti, also known as a divorce mediator, in Longsight to enquire about obtaining a divorce application.The following October she served that application upon Ahmad who requested mediation. She agreed to give him "one more chance to change", but tragically never did, the court heard.‌The night before the alleged attack, Mrs Rafay told Ahmad that she wanted a divorce. On the morning of January 27 this year, Mrs Rafay was filling up a water bottle in the kitchen when Mr Ahmad entered from behind, armed with a kitchen knife.He then repeatedly stabbed her, causing her to collapse to the kitchen floor, where he continued the brutal assault."She managed to get up and went next door seeking help. The defendant chased her, caught up with her and started stabbing her again," Mr Baker said.‌Neighbours watched in horror as Ahmad stabbed her on the ground before he was seen 'walking back to the house leaving her dead or dying'. The prosecutor stated that as the defendant made his way back to the house, he was seen to 'smile or smirk'.Ahmad then sent a message to the family WhatsApp group, and to Mrs Rafay's dad, which read: "I have killed my wife." In arrest footage shown to the court, Ahmad said: "I'm truly sorry, I'm truly sorry, I'm sorry."He was later heard to say: "Self defence, self defence, she attacked me." While giving evidence, his barrister, Mark Ford KC, asked him: "Do you accept you killed your wife?".Article continues below"I was in a psychotic episode," Ahmad said. He then claimed he "heard visuals and sounds" of a male voice telling him his wife would "smash his head in"."Do you have any memory of stabbing your wife?" Mr Ford asked. "No. Just flashbacks. Someone stabbed my wife, I think it was me," Ahmad said.Ahmad, of Lulworth Gardens, Wythenshawe, denied murder and an alternate offence of manslaughter. Having finished giving evidence on Tuesday, July 28, Ahmad pleaded guilty to murder, with jurors asked to formally record a guilty verdict. He is due to be sentenced on Friday, July 31.