Man who 'poured hot oil on wife's face' in 'vicious attack' jailed for 26 years for attempted murder
Some of his victim's burns were so severe that they penetrated through all layers of her skin
A man has been jailed for 26 years after attempting to murder his wife by pouring hot oil on her face and assaulting her in a “vicious and sustained” attack.
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Raju Mollah, 49, was found guilty after a trial at Birmingham Crown Court last August.
Mollah was arrested last January after police were alerted to reports of a man attacking a woman.
An investigation found that Mollah “viciously attacked” his wife by pouring hot oil on her face, before launching a violent and “sustained” assault on her, according to West Midlands police.
The court heard how Mollah and his wife had argued over a property in the days before the attack, resulting in a tense atmosphere in the family home.
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The day of the attack, Mollah arrived home from work and told his wife, who was cooking in the kitchen, to prepare him an omelette.
He then began heating what the court heard was an 'unusual' amount of oil in a frying pan.
When she turned away to wash a utensil, he forcefully grabbed her by the hair and poured the hot oil over her face, before striking her repeatedly in the head and face with the frying pan and the metal frame from the gas cooker.
His wife fell to the floor, and Mollah stamped on her, kicked her and pushed a mop into her face.
As a result of the attack, she sustained severe burns across her face, neck, arms and hands.
Some burns were so severe that they penetrated through all layers of skin to the underlying structures.
She also suffered a minor bleed on the brain, mouth, a swollen eye, deep wounds to her face and head, missing teeth and singed hair.
By the time paramedics arrived at the property, Mollah’s wife was lying in a pool of oil and blood around her head.
One of the paramedics said she could feel the heat radiating from the hot oil covering the floor.
Mollah told police that it was an accident and indicated his wife had fallen. In a subsequent police interview, he claimed he was defending himself.
Mollah pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent but denied attempted murder.
He was sentenced on Friday to 26 years in custody and handed an indefinite restraining order during the sentencing hearing.
Tejinder Sandhu, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "This was a vicious and sustained attack that left the victim with severe, life-changing injuries.
"Raju Mollah lied to minimise what he had done by claiming self-defence, but the evidence proved he deliberately attacked his wife with the intention of killing her.
"There is no excuse for such violence, and we will continue to robustly prosecute those who commit such atrocious crimes as fully as the law allows.
"We would like to commend the victim for her courage and bravery in giving evidence against Mollah, and we hope this conviction brings some measure of justice to her as she continues her recovery."