A man has denied stabbing his wife to death while she pushed their baby in a pram through Bradford, a court has heard.
Habibur Masum, 25, is accused of fatally stabbing his wife Kulsuma Akter, 27, as she walked in the Westgate area of the city on Saturday, April 6. The baby was unharmed and is understood to have relatives looking after it.
Appearing at Bradford Crown Court today, Masum, of Leamington Avenue in Burnley, pleaded not guilty to murder, two charges of assault, one count of making threats to kill, one charge of stalking and one of possessing a knife.
Ms Akter was stabbed several times in Westgate at the junction with Drewton Road at 3.20pm.
The emergency services were called, but Ms Akter was pronounced dead at the scene a short time later.
Habibur Masum, 25, is accused of fatally stabbing his wife Kulsuma Akter, 27, (pictured together at their wedding) as she walked in the Westgate area of the city on Saturday, April 6
Floral tributes left outside a shop in Westgate, Bradford, close to where Ms Akter was stabbed to death
Appearing at Bradford Crown Court today, Masum, of Leamington Avenue in Burnley, pleaded not guilty to murder, two charges of assault, one count of making threats to kill, one charge of stalking and one of possessing a knife
Masum is accused of stalking Ms Akter between November and April, with the charge alleging he ‘tracked her movements and located her at a safe house, sent her messages of a menacing nature which contained threats to kill another and photos and videos of the area and premises where she was residing’.
He is also alleged to have ‘loitered in the area of her temporary residence’.
The charge alleges he caused her ‘alarm or distress’ and to ‘fear that violence would be used against her’.
The court heard the allegations of assault and threats to kill relate to two days last November.
Masum was arrested in connection with the murder three days after Ms Akter died in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, following a manhunt.
Following the attack in April, five other people were arrested in connection with the case.
A 23-year-old man was arrested in the Cheshire area on suspicion of assisting an offender and was released on bail.
Masum was arrested in connection with the murder three days after in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, following a manhunt
The scene at Westgate, Bradford, on Saturday after Ms Akter was brutally stabbed to death in broad daylight while pushing her son in a pram on April 6
Police officers in white forensics gear stand within a cordon at the scene of the stabbing in Bradford on April 6
Masum, who is from the city of Sylhet in eastern Bangladesh, studied for a masters in digital marketing at the University of Bedfordshire, and videos show him celebrating at his graduation
Four other men were arrested in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, on suspicion of assisting an offender and drug offences. The men are from the West Midlands and aged 23, 26, 28, and 29.
After the attack, the family of the suspected killer fled their home for fear of a revenge attack by Ms Akter’s relatives.
When MailOnline later went to the village where Masum’s parents live in April, a local said: ‘They have gone, they left a few days ago when the news came out.
‘They were scared of being attacked, we haven’t seen them since it happened.’
Following Ms Akter’s death, her mother Monwara Begum, 60, spoke through tears to MailOnline from her village near the town of Sylhet, in Bangladesh.
She said in April: ‘I am still in shock, my heart is broken, she was my youngest daughter and I adored her greatly.
‘She looked after me when my eldest daughter was married and she would get my medicine and do everything for me.
Following Ms Akter’s death, her mother Monwara Begum, 60, spoke through tears to MailOnline from her village near the town of Sylhet, in Bangladesh
Habibur Masum is a wannabe blogger who previously posted videos of shopping hauls in Primark
‘When she moved to the United Kingdom I was alone but Kulsuma would call me every day by video – the only day I didn’t hear from her was the day she was attacked.’
She added: ‘All I want now is a trial and I want Kulsuma to get the justice in death that she didn’t get when she was alive.’
Ms Akter’s brother Anwar said his sister had been relocated after they contacted the UK authorities with concerns about her safety.
He added that a few days before she was attacked, the younger brother of Masum called her and ‘informed her he [Masum] had gone to Spain’.
Her brother, Hossain, said the family was ‘completely devastated’ by her loss.
Speaking to MailOnline, he said: ‘We are heartbroken and completely devastated. We are not even able to speak and have been crying all the time since this happened.
‘We had to call our mother in Bangladesh to tell her the news. Can you imagine what this was like for us? I can’t believe my sister is dead. I’m sorry, I can’t speak any more.’
Online Masum presents an image of himself online as an enthusiastic traveller who enjoys discovering new cultures
Ms Akter’s cousin, Aftab Miah, also revealed that she had a traditional arranged marriage to Masum just over two years ago in Bangladesh.
He then came to the UK to study and she accompanied him as a dependent.
The couple were living in Oldham in a flat above a shop. Ms Akter has two older brothers living in the town, as well as a sister and another brother in Bangladesh. She was the youngest of five siblings.
Mr Miah, 53, revealed that she did not work, spoke limited English and relied on her husband for her financial survival.
He added: ‘She was a lovely girl and had a great personality. She was always smiling and liked to make people laugh.
‘We will miss her a lot and her death has hit us all really hard. But married life became quite difficult for her.’
He added: ‘The family are spread across the world and are not even able to come together at this very difficult time. I can’t put into words the pain they are going through. It’s horrific.’
Kulsuma Akter’s cousin, Aftab Miah (pictured), paid tribute to the mother, calling her a ‘lovely girl’ who was ‘always smiling’
He said that Ms Akter’s son was born six months ago and is currently being looked after by relatives. He refused to name the baby.
Mr Miah praised the efforts of the police but called for a fuller investigation into events leading up to Ms Akter’s killing.
He said: ‘The family just want to see justice carried out and are happy that the police have arrested him quickly. It’s a big relief to all of us.’
He added: ‘Kulsuma thought she was in a safe place but tragically this wasn’t the case. You can’t make sense of something like this and it’s going to take us a long time to get over her loss.’
Masum, who is from the city of Sylhet in eastern Bangladesh, studied for a masters in digital marketing at the University of Bedfordshire, and shares travel vlogs of his ‘adventures’ and life in the UK to his 14 YouTube subscribers.
MailOnline previously revealed pictures of the couple’s wedding ceremony which is thought to have taken place in Oldham where Ms Akter has relatives.
For the ceremony she wore a brilliant crimson sari with gold trimming, according to traditional custom.
Wearing gold symbolises physical and spiritual purity and that the bride is ‘stepping into her new life as pure as gold’.
Ms Akter’s father was unable to give her away as he is living in Saudi Arabia and so her brother who lives in the UK stepped in.
At court today, Judge Jonathan Rose remanded Masum into custody until his next hearing at the same court on September 27.
A trial date of November 18 was set at an earlier hearing.
