Husband admits stabbing wife to death in their north London home

A husband has admitted murdering his wife in their north London home.

Tanzanian Kema Salum, 39, who had previously denied killing 36-year-old Leyla Mtumwa, pleaded guilty on the first day of his Old Bailey trial.

The mother-of-one was repeatedly knifed in the neck and chest at the home they shared in Kirkstall Avenue, Haringey, on March 30.

After answering the door with blood on his hands, Salum claimed his wife had injured him.

The court heard that later, while he was handcuffed at the scene, he told officers: "This is my wife and we fight."

Salum appeared in the dock on Monday wearing glasses and dressed in a grey suit and open-collared white shirt.

With the assistance of a Swahili interpreter, he spoke to confirm his name before pleading guilty to a charge of murder.

Detective Chief Inspector Dave Whellams who led the investigation said: "In what should have been the safest place for her, Leyla was brutally stabbed to death by her husband.

"Salum will now face a lengthy sentence for his actions that night."

He will be sentenced on October 5.