Birmingham Couple Guilty of Attempted Murder in Animal Mask Attack

A young Birmingham couple who attacked a woman with a hammer and knife while wearing animal masks have been found guilty of attempted murder.

Wasif Hussain, 21, and his wife Nabela Tabassum, 19, ambushed Hussain’s stepmother, Arifa Nazmin, in the kitchen of their family home on Midhurst Road, Kings Norton, on January 29 last year.

The couple attacked Nazmin with a hammer and knife, with Hussain striking her and Tabassum holding her legs. The court heard that Hussain shouted, “you will die for everything you have done.”

Tabassum, who has a learning difficulties (low IQ) admitted feeling overwhelmed by the domestic tension, saying she had contemplated suicide due to constant criticism from her stepmother-in-law. Hussain, who has autism, claimed they felt unwelcome in the house.

The unemployed couple, whose families had encouraged them to marry after discovering their online relationship, blamed Hussain’s father’s new wife for making their lives unbearable. After the attack, they planned to kill both parents, burn the house to destroy evidence, and flee to Bolton for a new life.

Nazmin fought back with determination to save herself, forcing the couple to eventually relent, with Hussain shifting from the hammer attack to a tirade and rant against his father and stepmother. Despite suffering a stab wound and defensive injuries, she managed to escape and call for help.

Hussain and Tabassum fled to a Travelodge in Bolton, where they were arrested in the early hours of the next day. On March 27, Hussain was unanimously convicted of attempted murder at Birmingham Crown Court, while Tabassum was found guilty by a majority of 11 to 1. They will be sentenced on May 21.

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