Zhaonan Liang fronts court over attack on estranged wife.

Two young brothers’ heroic actions saved their mother’s life after her estranged husband repeatedly stabbed her with a meat cleaver as she prepared breakfast.

Zhaonan Liang handed himself to police hours after stabbing his estranged wife with a knife and a meat cleaver in front of his horrified young sons.

Two young brothers came to their mum’s rescue after her estranged husband attacked with a meat cleaver that left her blind in one eye.

Zhaonan Liang walked up to his wife Jiamali Aikeda as she prepared breakfast in their Melbourne home on September 6, 2023 and stabbed her multiple times to the face and upper body with a knife, and then with a meat cleaver.

Their two boys, aged eight and eleven, intervened in the ghastly attack allowing their mother to flee to a neighbouring property and call emergency services.

Liang, 61, was initially charged with attempted murder but it was downgraded to one of intentionally causing serious injury to which he pleaded guilty.

He was sentenced in the Supreme Court on Monday to a minimum of seven years’ imprisonment.

Zhaonan Liang has been sentenced to a minimum of seven years’ imprisonment for seriously injuring his estranged wife with a knife and a meat cleaver.

Ms Aikeda’s — who spent three weeks in hospital — suffered permanent blindness in her left eye and deep lacerations to her tongue.

The court heard that although the attack preceded prolonged acrimony between the couple, Liang’s actions in the kitchen were totally unprovoked.

Their children woke to their mother screaming for help, saying that “Dad” was killing her when Liang stabbed her in the face with a knife.

When the boys got to the kitchen, their mother was lying on the floor and Liang was sitting on her and stabbing at her head and shoulder.

One of the boys managed to get the knife off him but Liang grabbed a meat cleaver and resumed his attack.

The boys managed to pull their father away, which allowed her to flee, and call emergency services. Liang took over the call and urged the operator to send an ambulance before leaving the house. He handed himself in at Melton police station later that morning.

Liang told police he could not remember much about his attack, except that the injury to his hand was from a fight with his wife.

In her victim impact statement, Ms Aikeda said her sons saw something no children should ever see and that she could not bear to look at herself in the mirror because she did not recognise the person staring back at her.

Prompt medical intervention saved Jiamali Aikeda’s life after a horrific attack with a knife and meat cleaver by her estranged husband.

Justice Michael Croucher said Ms Aikeda lost a large amount of blood and without prompt medical intervention, her life would have been at risk.

“It was a chilling, ghastly and nasty attack committed on his defenceless and unarmed former partner. The attack was comprised of multiple strikes to vulnerable areas of the head and body with not one but two bladed weapons,” he said.

Justice Croucher said had it not been for the children’s brave and persistent intervention which allowed their mother to flee, the assault may well have continued.

Liang’s total sentence was 10 years’ imprisonment.