A controlling thug ordered his wife to shave her hair off and whipped her with a belt during a fit of rage. Kalanther Nibraz, 45, behaved in an 'appalling' way to his wife of 17 years and 'made her life a misery'.
He didn't work and spent his wife's earnings from her job on cannabis, Manchester Crown Court heard. On one occasion after looking through her mobile phone, Nibraz, from Trafford, whipped her 10 times with a belt and then ordered her to shave her head.
"He told her to shave her hair off, which she did," prosecutor Helen Longworth said. She told how the couple, originally from South Asia, met in 2004 before marrying two years later. They moved to the UK in 2007 and settled in Manchester, having three children together.
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Ms Longworth said it was an 'abusive relationship from the start'. Nibraz 'couldn't find work' but his wife got a job in Manchester city centre.
When she overheard colleagues talking about holidays, she asked Nibraz 'what these were' and he told her she should be 'grateful' to be in the UK. He spent periods back in his home country, before returning in October 2019, with the subsequent coronavirus lockdown meaning he couldn't travel back again.
Nibraz admitted to his wife that he'd engaged in other sexual relationships while he was back home. He told her that he was unhappy because she 'wasn't rich or beautiful'. Ms Longworth said that Nibraz spent the money she earned as the sole earner for their family on cannabis.
He blamed their financial situation on his wife and prevented her from applying for British citizenship, the court heard. Nibraz also told her that some of her friends were 'bad influences' and prevented her from contacting them.
He called one of her friends and 'terminated the relationship'. At one stage Nibraz learned that she had also had an affair.
During one incident in October last year, she had taken one of her children to the mosque and had left her phone at home. He looked through it and when she returned, he attacked her with a belt, 'whipping' her 10 times.
Nibraz then dragged her to the bathroom and told her to shave her hair off, which she did. In another incident that month, Nibraz was in a 'bad mood' and his wife ran a bath for him.
He asked her when he might return home. After she offered a suggestion, Nibraz became 'angry', kicking her to the stomach and throwing a baby bath at her.
The police were called in after she went to see a friend. After being arrested, Nibraz told police that he 'treated his wife well' and had given her 'freedom'.
He claimed that his wife has shaved her head 'voluntarily'. Defending, Bridget Bailey said there had been 'issues throughout the marriage' which 'escalated' when he returned from his South Asian home country in 2019.
"He found out about his wife's affair, she has been very open about that in her statement," the barrister said. "He went on a downward spiral. It is in that context that the abuse escalated."
Sentencing, the judge, Recorder Andrew Long, told Nibraz: "For many years your appalling behaviour towards your wife has made her life a misery. I have no doubt that it has had a substantial averse effect on her psychological wellbeing."
The judge said Nibraz is 'ashamed' of his behaviour. Nibraz pleaded guilty to one count of displaying controlling or coercive behaviour; and two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. He was sentenced to 27 months in prison. A restraining order was imposed, banning Nibraz from contacting his wife for five years.
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