A husband who stabbed his wife in the head is facing a life sentence after a judge declared the attack was 'so close to a full murder'.
The Attack
Madia Bano, 25, has been left in a coma and permanently brain-damaged after receiving a single wound to the head at her home in Villa Road, Lozells on November 1 last year. Parts of her brain are effectively now dead and it is feared she will end up with a condition known as Locked-in plus syndrome, where a person is completely paralysed and unable to speak.
Trial and Verdict
Her husband Amir Khan, also 25, called emergency services and lied that she had fallen, but experts concluded that would not have caused Ms Bano's specific injury. He was found guilty of attempted murder after a trial at Birmingham Crown Court.
Sentencing Adjourned
Khan was due for sentence on Wednesday, May 13, but Judge Dean Kershaw said he needed the probation service to assess whether he was a 'dangerous' offender or not. The judge said: 'The seriousness of this incident for this offence which in my view is so close to a full murder, it's as close to a full murder as you can get on the facts.'
Judge Kershaw said he knew 'very little' about Khan who did not say anything at the police station or give evidence at trial. He observed that if Khan was to receive an extended sentence, he would likely be in his late 40s or early 50s upon his release.
The case was adjourned until July 7, with the judge telling Khan directly: 'I'm not ruling out a life sentence but I need to know what probation feel as to whether you are dangerous.'
