‘Jealous’ Sydney husband who stabbed wife 14 times jailed for murder

A jealous husband stabbed his wife to death so violently he broke the tip of a large knife. Then he inflicted one final indignity on her.

Shahab Ahmed inflicted a ‘terrifying and painful’ death on his wife Khondkar Fariha Elahi at their Parramatta home in 2017. Picture: Facebook

An enraged Sydney man who took “cruel and deliberate” steps to ensure his wife was dead after stabbing her 14 times has been jailed for at least 20 years and three months.

Shahab Ahmed, 35, was found guilty by a NSW Supreme Court judge in May of the

domestic violence murder of Khondkar Fariha Elahi in their Parramatta unit in February 2017.

Justice Monika Schmidt on Thursday jailed Ahmed, originally from Bangladesh, for 27 years with a non-parole period of 20 years and three months.

Ahmed repeatedly stabbed Ms Elahi after reading text messages “of a sexual nature” from their longtime married friend, Omar Khan, on her phone.

Shahab Ahmed, 35, and Khondkar Fariha Elahi, 29, on their wedding day. Picture: Facebook

Shahab Ahmed is led from the NSW Supreme Court at an earlier hearing. Picture: AAP

Justice Schmidt said Ms Elahi must have suffered a “terrifying and painful death” at the hands of her husband of “considerably greater physical stature”.

“That he broke off the tip of that large knife between her teeth when he stabbed her in the face may not be overlooked,” she said.

Ahmed left Ms Elahi, 29, dying on a blood-soaked mattress and smoked several cigarettes over 10 minutes, according to the agreed facts.

He changed his Facebook status to “THE END” and switched her profile picture to one of them smiling together.

Omar Khan leaves after giving evidence at the NSW Supreme Court last month. Ms Elahi was stabbed to death by her husband after he found Mr Khan’s text messages. Picture: AAP

Khondkar Fariha Elahi (left) was stabbed so violently by husband Shahab Ahmed (right) he broke the tip of a large knife between her teeth, a court heard. Picture: Facebook

The judge said Ahmed watched his wife of five-and-a-half years until she had stopped breathing and was “beyond help”.

In a final act of indignity he used her thumb to unlock her phone and call triple-0.

“These further cruel and deliberate steps ensured Ms Elahi’s death,” Justice Schmidt said.

In sentencing Ahmed, she said others must be deterred from acting on feelings of possession, jealousy or infidelity with a ready-to-hand weapon such as a kitchen knife — “no matter how angry or wronged we may feel”.

The judge said the heartbreak described in a victim impact statement from Ms Elahi’s father, when he visualised his child’s last moments, can be well understood.

Ahmed’s jail time was backdated to his arrest, meaning he’ll be eligible for parole from May 2037.