Yahoo News What we know about Bradford 'murder' after mother with pram stabbed to death
Habibur Masum, 25, has been charged over the death of Kulsuma Akter, 27, who was stabbed to death in Bradford on Saturday.
A man has appeared in court charged with the murder of a mother who was stabbed to death as she pushed her baby in a pram in a city centre.
Habibur Masum, 25, is charged with murdering Kulsuma Akter, who was attacked in Bradford, West Yorkshire, on Saturday.
Masum, of Leamington Avenue, Burnley, is also charged with possession of a bladed article.
He appeared at Bradford Magistrates’ Court on Thursday where he was remanded in custody following a six-minute long hearing.
Akter, 27, died in hospital despite the efforts of witnesses and medics. Her child was unharmed.
What we know
West Yorkshire Police said Masum was arrested in the early hours of Tuesday in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire – 170 miles away from where Ms Akter was stabbed. He had been the subject of police appeals and a four-day manhunt.
A 23-year-old man arrested in the Cheshire area on Monday on suspicion of assisting an offender has been released on bail, West Yorkshire Police said. Four other men were arrested in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, on suspicion of assisting an offender and drug offences. The men aged 23, 26, 28, and 29, from the West Midlands area, are currently in custody, the force added.
Officers were called to the scene in the West Yorkshire city of Bradford at 3.21pm on Saturday. Ms Akter had been attacked and stabbed “multiple times” in the Westgate area of the city centre.
Ms Akter was taken to hospital after being stabbed several times in Westgate at the junction with Drewton Road at 3.20pm on Saturday, 6 April. She later died from her injuries.
The baby is safe and was not harmed in the incident, according to police.
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West Yorkshire Police has referred itself to the Independent Office of Police Conduct because officers had contact with Ms Akter before her death, a force spokesperson confirmed.
Shaun Sigamoney, district crown prosecutor for CPS Yorkshire and Humberside, said: “Prosecutors from CPS Yorkshire and Humberside’s complex casework unit authorised the charges following a review of a file of evidence from West Yorkshire Police.
“Our thoughts are with Kulsuma Akter’s family at this time. We remind all concerned that criminal proceedings against the defendant are active and that they have a right to a fair trial.
“It is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.”
Ms Akter’s brother, Hossain, said his family are “heartbroken and completely devastated”. He told MailOnline: “We are not even able to speak and have been crying all the time since this happened.
“We had to call our mother in Bangladesh to tell her the news. Can you imagine what this was like for us? I can’t believe my sister is dead.”
Ms Akter’s cousin, Aftab Miah, described her as a “very caring and humble”. He told the BBC: “She had (a) good personality. She used to make people laugh. She was a wonderful lady.”
Bradford West MP Naz Shah visited the scene of the attack on Tuesday, and said: “I’m here because of the shock and horror that it has sent through the constituency – the amount of people that I’ve been speaking to that are really, really horrified by this.“I think it is important to express that hurt.”
After laying flowers, she added: “There’s a problem across society when it comes to violence against women. It’s not just a West Yorkshire issue.
“A woman has lost her life while she was pushing a baby in a pram in broad daylight and that, ultimately, we need services, we need more resources.
“But there is an issue, there is a culture that it’s okay to kill a woman, hit a woman – that is not okay.
“We’ve lost a 27-year-old here in broad daylight. That is just not okay. That’s what we need to be concentrating on right now."
