A man has been sentenced for attempting to murder his wife after pouring hot oil over her and attacking her in their family home.
Raju Mollah, 49, was sentenced today (Friday 24 April) at Birmingham Crown Court to 26 years in custody after being found guilty of attempted murder after a trial in August. An indefinate restraining order was also granted during the sentencing hearing.
The court heard Mollah and his wife had argued over property a few days before the attack and the atmosphere had remained tense.
On 12 January 2025, Mollah returned home from work and told his wife who was cooking in the kitchen to make him an omelette. He then placed an unusual amount of oil in a frying pan and waited for it to heat up.
When she turned away to wash a utensil, he grabbed her by her hair and poured the hot oil over her face and head before striking her repeatedly to the head and face with the frying pan and the metal frame from the gas cooker.
As she fell to the floor, he stamped on her, kicked her and pushed a mop into her face. She sustained severe burns across her face, neck, arms and hands, where skin had begun to peel.
She also suffered a minor bleed to the brain, missing teeth, bleeding from the mouth, a swollen left eye, deep wounds to her face and head, and singed hair. Some burns penetrated through all layers of skin to underlying structures.
By the time paramedics arrived, the victim was lying in a pool of oil with blood surrounding her head. One of the paramedics reported that she could feel radiating heat from the hot oil which had covered the floor.
When police arrived, Mollah lied, claiming it was an accident and suggested his wife had fallen. In his police interview, he falsely claimed he was defending himself.
He pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent but denied attempting to kill his wife, however the jury convicted him of attempted murder following a trial.
Tejinder Sandhu from 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.”
