Refugee Strangled to Death by Husband in Hampton Park

A 33 year old woman was murdered in front of her two children.

Crime: Murder

Occurred:  20 November 2007

Where:  41 Michelle Drive, Hampton Park

Sentenced: 8 February 2013

Convicted:  Soltan Ahmad Azizi

Victim:  Marzieh Rahimi

What happened?
Sometime after 1pm on Tuesday, a neighbour heard a baby crying followed by a man and woman arguing and then a woman trying to scream.
Inside the house, the fight between Soltan and Marzieh escalated.  Soltan punched Marzieh several times in the head and face and strangled her to death with her scarf.  He rang police at 2:23pm to report what he had done.

The couple's marriage
Soltan and Marzieh were cousins who entered into an arranged marriage in Afghanistan when Marzieh was 19 years old and Soltan 29.  According to Marzieh's sister, Marzieh reported domestic violence from the very first night of the marriage.

The couple had two children during their four years in Afghanistan.  Their eldest daughter was killed by gunfire when she was three years old.

The couple and their remaining child fled to Iran as refugees and lived in the alleyways of Tehran, while Marzieh had two more children and Soltan worked as a cobbler and teaboy.  They came to Australia as refugees in 2005 and had another two sons, settling in Hampton Park in 2007.

The family home at 41 Michelle Drive, Hampton Park (source).

In the months leading up to the murder, the relationship between Soltan and Marzieh became hostile.  Marzieh was contemplating leaving Soltan, and had reported instances of domestic abuse to her sister (who was now residing in the USA) and social workers.  She was afraid of Soltan.  One conflict a few weeks before her death saw Marzieh locking herself in the bathroom with her two youngest children for a number of days.  On two occasions during this period she rang 000 for assistance but, unfortunately due to language difficulties, no assistance was provided.

One week before Marzieh's death, Soltan rang up Marzieh's sister and told her that Marzieh had changed religion, had become too Australian and was intending to divorce him.  Marzieh's sister then counselled Marzieh over the phone to reconcile with her husband, but Marzieh stated that she was going to leave Soltan and there were a number of organisations who could provide the support to do so.


Victim's background
Marzieh was only 33 years old when she was killed.  She has left behind five children who now under foster care.  Victim impact statements were also provided by Marzieh's mother and sister.

Marzieh suffered severe panic attacks and a social worker who spent some time with Marzieh suspected that she suffered from post traumatic stress disorder following her horrific experiences in Afghanistan.

Soltan Azizi in court (source).

Convicted's background
Soltan was 43 years old when he killed his wife. Born and raised in Afghanistan, he completed high school and studied economics at Kabul University for four years before dropping out to join the police force.

After the Afghanistan government fell in 1992, he and his family became the subjects of targeted violence. His mother and sister were killed in a house bombing, and his brother was captured and tortured by the Taliban. In 1998, Soltan and Marzieh's family home was attacked by gunmen and their eldest daughter was shot to death.

Upon moving to Australia, Soltan studied English at tafe but did not work.

Soltan had no prior convictions.
 
Outcome of trial:  Although Soltan admitted to police at the scene that he killed his wife, he pleaded not guilty to her murder and underwent a trial where he was found guilty and sentenced in 2010.  However, this verdict was set aside by the Court of Appeal who found that evidence of his abuse against Marzieh at his trial was inadmissible.  Accordingly, the Department of Public Prosecutions pursued a retrial, where Soltan again pleaded not guilty but a jury verdict found otherwise.

Sentence:  16 years minimum before eligible for parole, 20 years maximum.  The judge recognised that over 5 years of his sentence had already been served.

You can read the judgment here.  Media articles are here, here, and here.

Paranoid Husband Murders Pregnant Wife

Crime:  Murder
Occurred: 24 August 2010
Sentenced: 25 March 2011
Where: Easterleigh Court, Dandenong
Convicted: Lino Mamour
Victim: Juana Legge

What happened?
Lino believed that his wife, Juana, was cheating on him.  On the afternoon of her death, Lino claimed that Juana pulled up a chair for him to sit in and told him, "if you are not a coward you will kill me".  Lino grabbed his 34cm knife and stabbed her several times in the heart and chest, also piercing her sternum.  He then drove to the Dandenong Police Station, covered in blood, to confess his crime.


Victim's background
Juana was 29 years old at the time of death.  She married Lino in Sudan and came to Australia in June 2010, when she fell pregnant.  She has left behind a family of ten siblings, many of whom reside in Sudan. Thirteen victim impact statements were submitted to the court by family members impacted by her death.


Convicted's background
Lino was 41 years old when he killed his wife. Born and raised in Sudan as a Christian, he was the youngest of four brothers and his parents died within 12 months of each other when he was 14. He trained as an accountant in Sudan but when civil war broke out he fled to Egypt and came to Australia as a refugee at the age of 30.  He settled in Dandenong and worked as an aged care worker, a butcher and then a machine operator.  
In the months leading up to her murder, he was obsessed that his wife was cheating on him.  He was distrustful of her doctor and was increasingly absent from work because he was so upset that Juana was unfaithful.  He could not sleep.  Before the murder occurred he was booked in for counselling through his work, who were concerned his mental state was deteriorating.  The court found there was no basis for Lino's paranoid beliefs.  Shortly before Juana's death he purchased the murder weapon, a large knife, because he believed he was being followed.  The psychologist involved in Lino's case reported that he did not appear to have an ongoing delusional mental disorder and that his wife's pregnancy may have added stress to what could have been an 'adjustment disorder with depressed mood of moderate severity'.

Outcome of trial: There was no trial because Lino pleaded guilty.

Sentence: 14 years before eligible for parole (18 years max).

You can read the judgement here.  Media coverage is available here and here.

61 Year Old Husband Kills Wife in Greenvale

Crime:  Murder
Occurred:  1 February 2010
Sentenced:  4 February 2011
Where: Family home in Greenvale
Convicted: Omer Bayram
Victim:  Sirin Bayram

What happened?
After a marriage that lasted almost 25 years, Omer and Sirin were separated but continued to live in the same house, despite increasing hostility.  Omer offered Sirin $250,000 as a full property settlement, but the marital pool was worth far more and Sirin was adamant that she wanted at least half the assets and this would involve the sale of the family home.  One Monday morning, Omer and Sirin argued in the kitchen about selling the house.  Omer grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed Sirin five times in the chest and thigh.  She died soon after of blood loss. About half an hour later Omer rang 000 to tell the authorities that he had killed his wife.

Sirin on the right

Victim's background
Sirin was born in Cyprus and was 50 years old when she was killed.  She came to Australia in 1985, pregnant with her first child, and had two children in total (now aged 24 and 22).  She worked full time at Ericsson as a factory hand and clerk, contributing towards the house repayments and family savings.  Two days before her death she told her brother that she had found a new house in Epping she was going to buy, and was packing her things to begin a new life.

Convicted's background
Omer was the son of a shepherd, born in Cyprus and one of seven children.  He moved to Australia at the age of 23 after a stint in the British Amy in Libya.  He was 61 when he killed his wife.  Working nightshift at Dunlop rubber while his wife worked day shift, the two never saw each other much throughout their marriage.  In 2008, the Dunlop tyre plant closed down and Omer purchased a taxi licence.  As a member of the Craigieburn Art Group, two members provided character references at his sentencing hearing, stating that he was a gentleman.  He has no prior convictions.  His children were initially supportive of him when he was first arrested (visiting him in remand) but since then there has been a falling out over financial matters.

Outcome of trial: Omer pleaded guilty to murder and a trial was not required.

Sentence:  16 years before eligible for parole (19 max).  Omer has already served over a year of his sentence in remand.

You can read the judgement here.  Media coverage is available here and here.