‘Paranoid’ man, 37, slit his wife’s throat and left her to die on children’s bedroom floor after accusing her of speaking to other men

A ‘paranoid’ man barbarically murdered his wife by slitting her throat after nurturing years of twisted, unfounded jealousy.

Wahib Albaradan, 37, who had previously been diagnosed with schizophrenia, repeatedly accused mother-of-four Salam Alshara, 27, of speaking with other men, despite having no proof, and had threatened to kill her before.

His ‘controlling’ behaviour worsened when Ms Alshara downloaded WhatsApp and TikTok – leading him to believe she was having an affair – and she refused his demands to wear a niqab.

Albaradan, who arrived home in a ‘bad mood’, then savaged his wife with a large and small knife in their bedroom before attacking her with either a razor or a Stanley knife.

With these, he slit her throat and left Ms Alshara to bleed out on their children’s bedroom floor with ‘at least 20 wounds’. 

The murderer pleaded guilty to the ‘frenzied’ attack from 2023 at Leeds Crown Court last month and was sentenced with a life sentence today.

Albaradan, a Syrian national, told a psychiatrist that if he was in his native country ‘nothing would happen to him’ and his wife’s death would be considered an ‘honour crime’.

Ms Alshara, who was described as ‘timid and withdrawn’ by neighbours, had tried to divorce Albaradan but was convinced by her and her husband’s family to stay after he said he would change.

Salam Alshara, 27, was attacked by her ‘controlling’ husband with knives before being left to bleed out on their children’s bedroom floor with ‘at least 20 wounds’

Wahib Albaradan, a Syrian national, said if he was in his native country ‘nothing would happen to him’ and his wife’s death would be considered an ‘honour crime’

Albaradan moved to the UK in May 2020 and was joined by Ms Alshara a year later before moving to Ravensthrope, Dewsbury, together. 

He believed Ms Alshara had been speaking to other men while she was in Syria alone and that he would have been able to kill her for it there since ‘that is our law’. 

Prosecutor Nick Worsley KC said the couple did not have the ‘happiest of marriages’.

‘The defendant had demonstrated signs of jealousy for some time,’ he said.

‘She had been living at his home in Syria and had complained at being treated by his mum and sister and they said and he believed she had been speaking to other men. There was no truth in this.’

Albaradan’s barrister Geraldine Kelly KC said his ‘paranoia was a result of his ill health’.

‘There is sufficient evidence in my submission to suggest he was not thinking entirely clearly.

‘He was seen on several occasions by his GP when he arrived here and at first it was thought his mental health was related to PTSD,’ she said.

Albaradan had said he suffered from hallucinations and hearing voices in the weeks before murdering his wife and his ‘paranoia’ led to him believing that government agencies were spying on the couple and wanted to harvest his organs. 

Ms Kelly continued: ‘He maintained this after killing his wife. He doesn’t recall what happened with his wife other than an argument.’  

Eleven months before Ms Alshara was killed, Albradan had sent her stories about deahts between couples – including one of a man who only spent days in jail for the death of his wife. 

‘He said he would kill her,’ Mr Worsley added. 

One neighbour said they saw Ms Alshara sit on their doorstep every day but would go inside when told to by her husband.

Ms Alshara’s brother said that Albaradan would take her phone away or phone her every 15 minutes when they were not together. 

Recorder of Leeds His Honour Judge Guy Kearl told Albaradan ‘the reasons for that argument may have been rooted in your paranoid beliefs but to kill her with three separate blades was your choice to make’

Ms Alshara had also defiantly messaged her brother: ‘I am one female who wants to live in her house happy and satisfied and without suspicion of judgement in anything.

‘I don’t know what to do. I told him I don’t want this life full of suspicion and mistrust.

‘I told him to take his things and leave but if you want to stay, I want you to treat me like any woman.

‘I don’t want to be out in the streets, I have my duties to do.’ 

The brother had also said that Albaradan had once previously kicked his wife out of the house without her phone.

He told her that ‘if he did it again, to report him to the police’.

The brother also told her she had ‘not done anything wrong’ when she deleted social media and had every right to keep it. 

‘Don’t keep silent and stand up for your right,’ he said.

The prosecutor told the court that Albaradan said ‘his wife was naïve to let him control her and knew he wasn’t a bad person and forced him to commit the crime’.

Ms Alshara’s parents said she was the ‘light of their lives’ and in killing her, Albaradan had also killed them.

When they were told of their youngest daughter’s murder, the parents passed out and continue to repeatedly do so because of ‘trauma’.

The brother added that they have since been plagued by ‘disease’ and high blood pressure.

Ms Alshara’s sister has also lost the ability to speak after learning of the murder and is receiving mental health treatment. 

Recorder of Leeds His Honour Judge Guy Kearl told Albaradan as he was sentencing him: ‘From what we know, she was a good and faithful wife and you were a jealous and controlling husband who bullied, threatened and manipulated her.

‘As a result of that jealousy, you resented her leaving the house and living a normal life and wanted to control every aspect of her life and made her timid and withdrawn.

‘You convinced yourself she was having an affair or affairs, which she wasn’t.

‘You didn’t want her to use the phone to communicate with other people or to have access to social media and she resented this and, no doubt, she resented you.

‘She spoke to you about this and you made worthless promises but failed to change your ways.

‘Your decision to arm yourself, attack and kill her was a choice. The reasons for that argument may have been rooted in your paranoid beliefs but to kill her with three separate blades was your choice to make.

‘Despite suffering a form of psychosis you had not previously been driven to behave violently by your schizophrenia.

‘Doctor Medani indicates that your mental capacity was not significantly affected by your mental illness, however there is evidence that at the time of the offence you were mentally disordered, albeit not substantially… You have shown some remorse by your guilty plea.’

Albaradan will serve a minimum term of 19 years and six months, but realistically 18 years and 44 days after already serving time on remand.

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