A Bradford man who stabbed his wife so savagely that a knife broke off in her back has been jailed for ten years.

Mohammed Bakhtiar, 35, of Hollings Street, Manningham, was jailed after pleading guilty at Bradford Crown Court yesterday to a charge of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

Originally charged with attempted murder, the former taxi driver was arrested after he attacked estranged wife Alia Khan on November 18, 1999.

Detective Chief Insp Phil Sedgwick, of Toller Lane Police, said Bakhtiar had gone to his wife's house in St Leonard's Grove, Girlington, with the intention of talking about the future of their two young children.

But, unable to gain entry, he smashed a window and went into the kitchen where he picked up a knife. He then followed Mrs Khan, who had run upstairs, and stabbed her in the left arm, pushing her down the stairs.

Det Ch Insp Sedgwick said Mrs Khan had tried to escape by running down the road, but her husband had followed, brandishing the knife, and caught up with her on Rayner's Avenue, where the two fell to the ground.

Mrs Khan suffered multiple stab wounds and a broken blade was later recovered from her back by medical staff.

"She's lucky to be alive," said Det Ch Insp Sedgwick. "She had stab wounds to the left arm and multiple wounds to her back. He obviously used so much force the knife broke off. The sentence is well deserved."

He added that Bakhtiar had been found hiding in a nearby garden.

Summing up the case, Judge Alistair McCallum told Bakhtiar the offence was as close to attempted murder as it could be. He described it as a prolonged attack during which he stabbed his wife in the back so savagely that the knife broke.

Bakhtiar had continued the attack with the stub of the knife and got another knife as he chased her out of the house.

Det Ch Insp Sedgwick said: "We have a policy of dealing fairly with domestic violence in Bradford. We don't give people a second chance."

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