A controlling husband who slept in his car near his estranged wife's house to 'keep an eye on her' tried to kill her in a 'murderous attack' in the street days after attacking her because of the way she was dressed.
Farhad Abdullah's now ex-partner lived in 'terror'. He threatened to kill her a number of times, was verbally abusive and called her a 'prostitute'.
The 'escalating pattern of threatening and violent behaviour' culminated in Abdullah, 55, stabbing the woman three times.
When he was arrested, he was found with the woman's phone and a pair of handcuffs. On the floor was the ornamental dagger he used to attack his wife.
And in his car, was a machete.
Abdullah claimed passers-by planted the knife on him. He said his wife's blood was on the weapon because she was 'very clever and could have put it there'.
Abdullah has now been jailed for 21 years having been found guilty of attempted murder following the horrifying incident in Benchill in Wythenshawe last summer.
"Your time has come," Abdullah told his wife weeks earlier.
"It's either going to be me alive or you alive. One of us has to stay alive."
Abdullah claimed Iraqi and Kurdish men 'regularly threaten to kill their wives', describing it as a 'catchphrase' which they don't actually mean.
A judge did not accept that claim.
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Manchester Crown Court earlier heard Abdullah and the woman were married for 17 years and had two sons.
They spilt up three years before divorcing.
From that point on, Abdullah often slept in his car or in a caravan parked by the house to 'keep an eye on her'.
There were a number of incidents prior to the stabbing in June 2018, prosecutor Joe Boyd said.
On May 6, Abdullah barged into the woman's home and threatened to kill her.
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On another occasion, he threatened to kill her while sharpening a kitchen knife, before stealing her dog and her house keys.
The court heard that two days before the stabbing, the woman was leaving her home to go to a wedding.
Abdullah arrived and grabbed her by the hair, saying: "Where are you going dressed like this?"
Then, on June 18, the woman received a call from her son warning her he had seen Abdullah driving near the house.
When she arrived home, Abdullah ran towards her, asking to talk. She said she had nothing to say to him.
As she took out her phone to call for help, Abdullah grabbed it and then lunged at her with a dagger.
He aimed for her stomach, but she sustained two defensive wounds to the arms, as Abdullah shouted: "I'm going to kill you."
Abdullah then aimed for the woman's neck, connecting just under the collarbone.
As she screamed for help, Abdullah ran off, persued by 'local youths'.
One of them threw a brick at Abdullah, who fell to the floor semi-conscious. Police arrested him shortly after.
In a victim impact statement, the woman, who did not suffer any internal injuries, said: "I was very stressed and afraid in case he got away with it and came back for revenge.
"I know the truth and what he is capable of, and lived in fear for months for fear he would be released from prison.
"I feel I can now live my life in safety again."
Abdullah received a conditional discharge in 2014 for sending menacing messages to his wife. He received another conditional discharge in 2017 for breaching a restraining order imposed against her.
Defending, David James said Abdullah was a 'troubled man' who suffers from a 'severely depressive illness'.
The court was told that Abdullah, who was born in Iran, had returned a changed man after spending two years as a prisoner of war.
Years before, he had fought in the Iran and Iraq war, and on a family holiday to Iran in 2012, he was captured and accused of being a spy.
During his time in captivity he was badly beaten and tortured, before escaping and returning to the UK in 2014, the court heard.
Sentencing, Judge Leeming said told Abdullah: "You intended to kill her, and that's what you tried to do.
"This was a murderous attack, and the intention was to kill. She was living in terror for some months, and knows what you are capable of."
The judge declared Abdullah a 'dangerous' offender.
He will serve two-thirds of a 21 year prison sentence and will only be released after a decision by the parole board.
Abdullah was also ordered to serve a further five year sentence on licence.
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'He is a cowardly and manipulative individual'
After the hearing, Detective Constable Lucia Barnes, of GMP’s City of Manchester Division, said: “Abdullah is a cowardly and manipulative individual who pursued a sustained campaign of violence and intimidation towards those closest to him.
“His controlling behaviour led to the breakdown of his relationship, as well as a restraining order that he chose to ignore while subjecting his former partner to a terrifying ordeal.
“She has exhibited extreme bravery throughout. She recognised her partner’s coercive behaviour and took steps to protect herself and her family.
“This is the first and often hardest step in escaping domestic abuse and we commend her courage.
“Abdullah’s abhorrent behaviour culminated in an extremely serious and prolonged assault with a knife.
“We’re very thankful to the good Samaritans who came to her aid while she was being attacked.
“Their actions not only helped save her from further injury, but assisted police in apprehending a violent offender.
“We hope today’s sentence offers a form of closure for her, now that her assailant is behind bars.”
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