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Domestic violence victim speaks out after husband jailed for stabbing her eight times in front of their children

Mohammed Farooq was jailed for 24 years. (SWNS)
Mohammed Farooq was jailed for 24 years. (West Midlands Police)

A domestic abuse victim has spoken out about her 10-year ordeal after her husband, who stabbed her eight times in front of their children, was jailed for attempted murder.

Mohammed Farooq, 55, was sentenced to 24 years in prison at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday after subjecting his wife Nusarat, 36, to a decade of terror and violence.

Nusarat spoke out about the incessant abuse in a statement released by the West Midlands Police after her husband's sentencing.

She described how over the years he would use her traditional neckpiece to choke her and would keep large knives under the bed to threaten her with.

Read: 'Appalling increases in violence against women' seen throughout pandemic, WHO warns

The violence culminated with Farooq dragging his wife to the floor in front of their children and stabbing her eight times in the head, neck, chest and arms. The attack took place just off the High Street in Erdington last April.

Nurasat was saved by passers-by who jumped in to stop the attack, punching Farooq in the head and body as well as hitting him with a bicycle wheel.

It comes amid a national conversation about violence against women after the disappearance and death of 33-year-old Londoner Sarah Everard.

CARDIFF, WALES - MARCH 17: A sign amongst flowers outside Cardiff Central Police Station on March 17, 2021 in Cardiff, Wales. Legislation giving police greater power to crack down on protests has passed its second reading in the House of Commons with a majority of 96 votes, amid anger at the way officers broke up a vigil for Sarah Everard where women were handcuffed and arrested. Sarah Everard, 33, disappeared after walking home from a friend's house on March 3. Wayne Couzens, 48, has been charged with the 33-year-old's kidnap and murder. (Photo by Matthew Horwood/Getty Images)
CA sign amongst flowers outside Cardiff Central Police Station on March 17, 2021 in Cardiff, Wales. (Getty Images)

The coronavirus lockdown has also prompted a dramatic increase in domestic abuse, with police seeing a spike in reported cases since March last year, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Meanwhile, World Health Organisation director-general Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus said countries across the world have seen "appalling increases in violence against women".

In the statement, Nurasat said that she wanted to speak about her ordeal as a warning to other victims of domestic violence, saying: "No-one should live with a monster like Farooq. They will end up killing you."

The 36-year-old, who married Farooq after moving from Pakistan to the UK, said she quickly found herself feeling isolated and trapped by her husband's violent and controlling behaviour.

Watch: Domestic abuse is the world's hidden pandemic

She said: "I had no friends, I didn't know the laws. He brainwashed me. I believed if I told anyone he would have my children taken away.

"For nine-and-a-half years he made my life a misery. He terrorised me day and night."

Speaking about the stabbing attack, Nusarat said: "He really tried to kill me that day, I don't know how I survived."

Nurasat said the incident had come after she fled from Farooq and sought shelter at a refuge with her children.

Farooq had begun directing his aggression towards her sons, leaving the children — all aged under 10 — scarred for life, Nurasat added.

She said: "Even to this day if they see a car which resembles their father's they will start crying in the street, thinking he is coming to kill me.

People in Writer's Square, Belfast, taking part in a demonstration against gender violence and to defend the right to protest following the murder of Sarah Everard and subsequent police actions at a vigil in London. Picture date: Tuesday March 16, 2021.
People in Writer's Square, Belfast, taking part in a demonstration against gender violence and to defend the right to protest following the murder of Sarah Everard and subsequent police actions at a vigil in London. (PA)

"What kind of father does that to his children? I just wanted to leave him. He tried to kill me because I made a decision to keep my children safe. He is no father, he is a monster."

"He is a very dangerous man and should spend the rest of his days in prison," she added.

Describing another particularly brutal incident, Nasurat said: "He dragged me by my hair to the window and told me he would throw me out of it and bury me outside and no-one would care.

"There is no honour in killing, our religion gives us a right to have a divorce and be separated."

PC Lisa Monahan, of West Midlands Police's Public Protection Unit, said: "Although Nusarat and her children now have a fresh start, she still lives in fear but wants to put the horrible ordeal behind her.

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"Hopefully the honesty and bravery that Nusarat showed in sharing her traumatic story can inspire others in similar situations to seek the help they need."

She added: "We'd urge anyone who has suffered domestic abuse to contact us.

Farooq was sentenced to 24 years in prison at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday

He was also made the subject of an extended sentence, meaning he'll be subject to recall for five years after his sentence ends, as well as a restraining order.

Watch: NHS encourages people to seek help if they are victims of domestic abuse