A man who killed his wife tried to "cover up" the murder by ransacking their home to make out she was attacked by a burglar.
Malak aka Katy Adabzadeh, 47, was battered to death by Mohammad Ureza Azizi with an unidentified weapon at their Stoneycroft home. Azizi inflicted 11 head injuries, as she desperately tried to defend herself.
He then trashed their apartment to make it look like it had been ransacked by a mystery attacker, before later returning with his son, and letting him find his mum "in a pool of blood" face down in the bath. Liverpool Crown Court today heard Iranian national Azizi had found out his wife was seeing married man Tooraj Khorshidi, who would visit to give her botox and lip fillers.
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Earlier that afternoon Azizi walked around the Old Swan area. He was seen with a carrier bag, which prosecutors alleged contained items connected to the murder, and ditched in a skip in Inigo Road in Stoneycroft, before he went into shops, without buying anything, so he was on CCTV and had an alibi.
At around 4.45pm, Azizi waited to meet his son getting off a bus and they walked home together. There they met Mr Khorshidi, before they went inside. Her son called police and all three men were initially arrested on suspicion of murder.
A pathologist found Ms Adabzadeh with wounds to her head and face, caused by "repeated forceful blows with a blunt weapon". She had a broken bone in her left hand, thought to be a defensive injury.
When interviewed, Azizi claimed two days earlier, two men had pressed the bell to their apartment, which David McLachlan, QC, prosecuting, said was an attempt to "shift blame away from himself".
When questioned about his partner's affair with Mr Khorshidi, he said: "We had a very good relationship together. How can he have affair with my wife? I cannot believe but culturally in the past it was unacceptable this matter and you could be stoned to death but now things has changed and it is easier for people to decide what they want to do with their life."
Judge Andrew Menary, QC, said he had no doubt that day, or shortly before Azizi discovered the affair, that his wife "had packed a bag and was ending the marriage". Azizi disputed the evidence of neighbours who heard "banging and crying" and denied killing his wife.
He said he loved her and they didn't have any problems. Mr McLachlan said Ms Adabzadeh was getting ready to leave when "more likely than not" Azizi discovered the affair.
Mr McLachlan said: "Upon discovery of this he brutally beat his wife to death with a weapon. After killing her he set upon an intricate plan. He made sure he left the flat in a state so that it would appear that it had been ransacked, in other words, burgled, but it had not.
"When they entered the flat, Mohammed Azizi made sure that he did not find his dead wife. He checked every other room bar the bathroom. It was Payam who discovered the body of his mother."
Azizi, who had no previous convictions, admitted murder. Nick Johnson, QC, defending, said all the evidence suggested Azizi had never been violent to his wife previously and had "done his very best over the years to act as a husband should".
He said Azizi who didn't speak English was "culturally isolated" here, while his wife had "embraced life in the UK", wanted to leave him, and was treating him with "open hostility and aggression". Mr Johnson said that in no way justified his "wholly unforgivable" actions, but his son had said: "He really loved my mother. She would tell him we're not together anymore."
Payam said she would tell him "you're not my husband" and he "couldn't accept" and "couldn't understand that", but all the "attacks" came from his mother, trying to "destruct" him. Mr Johnson said: "All of the evidence suggests this was an impulsive and spur-of-the-moment attack."
He said his client was remorseful for the "dreadful" killing and leaving his son alone without any family. Judge Menary said Azizi "deliberately" tried to "cover up" the murder, then let his son find his mother.
He said: "You could have prevented that. If you had wanted to be merciful to your son, you could have avoided that." Judge Menary said Ms Adabzadeh was a "perfectly delightful woman, who was unhappy in her marriage to you and simply wanted a different life".
He told Azizi: "She was perfectly entitled to make that choice, whatever unhappiness may have been caused to you." The judge said he was satisfied Azizi intended to kill her, likely in "a sudden, explosive loss of temper".
Azizi was jailed for life with a minimum of 16 years at Liverpool Crown Court today, Friday, April 22.
Detective Inspector John Holden said: “This was an extremely tragic incident which led to the death of a woman in her own home. Although no sentence can ever bring Malak back, I hope that the sentence today will bring some sense of closure to her loved ones now that justice has been served.
“Domestic abuse is an utterly shocking and reprehensible crime which is completely unacceptable. At Merseyside Police we have a longstanding commitment to ensuring reports of domestic abuse are thoroughly investigated and offenders prosecuted. We are also committed to giving wraparound support to all survivors.
“We know that domestic abuse is not an issue that the police can tackle alone which is why we will continue to work with our partners to develop and use all available tools and practices to encourage people to report domestic abuse and offer them assistance when they do. I cannot stress how important it is that anyone who finds themselves in a violent or controlling relationship doesn’t stay silent but finds the courage to speak to someone about it. You are not alone and there is a lot of help available, both via Merseyside Police and our partner organisations, so please take that first step.
“I would also encourage neighbours and friends of those that are suffering from domestic abuse to speak up. Trust your instincts - if something you’ve seen or heard doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t. By knowing the signs of domestic abuse, you could help a friend, colleague or family member.
“All reports are treated seriously, they will be investigated sensitively and we will do everything we can to ensure perpetrators are brought to justice.”
