Sheffield mum stabbed to death by husband in 'frenzied' attack had been abused for 18 years

Saira Ali, aged 47, was found seriously injured with multiple stab wounds, predominantly to her chest and neck, at her home on Cromford Street, Highfield, Sheffield, in the early hours of Sunday, June 5, 2022. During a hearing today, the court was told that Ms Ali’s husband, Vahid Kabiri, had been the one to raise the alarm, and in a call to the police at around 3.10am, was recorded as saying: “I did a murder, can you come and arrest me please?”

Giving evidence, Detective Constable Lisa Glover, the investigating officer, told Sheffield Coroners’ Court that when the operator asked Kabiri, 43, who he had murdered he stated “my wife,” adding that he had killed her using a knife. Emergency services arrived on the scene a short time after the call, but despite the best efforts of medics – both at the scene and at Sheffield’s Northern General Hospital – Ms Ali was pronounced dead shortly after 4am.

Following a post-mortem examination, Pathologist, Dr Naomi Carter, concluded that Ms Ali’s cause of death was ‘stab wounds to the neck and chest’.

Assistant Coroner, Steve Eccleston, told the court he regarded the wounds inflicted upon Ms Ali, a mother-of-three, to have been ‘unsurvivable’. Based on the evidence from the scene and Dr Carter’s post-mortem, Mr Eccleston asked Det Con Glover whether she would agree that the attack had been ‘frenzied’ and she replied “yes sir”.

Describing the events of the hours following the fatal stabbing, Det Con Glover said Kabiri was arrested at the scene on suspicion of attempted murder, and was subsequently conveyed to Shepcote Lane Police Station, Tinsley. Det Con Glover added: “He was further arrested at 4.13am for the murder of Saira Ali. When was arrested, the first thing he said was: “How many years do you think I’ll get?”

Following appearances at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court and Sheffield Crown Court on June 6 and 8, 2022, after being charged with his wife’s murder, Kabiri was remanded into custody at HMP Doncaster, with a trial date set for November 2022.

Kabiri was found hanged in his cell at HMP Doncaster on July 1. Det Con Glover said Kabiri is believed to have taken his own life, but his inquest has not yet taken place.

Det Con Glover told the court that Kabiri had a long ‘history’ of subjecting Ms Ali to domestic abuse. She added that both Kabiri and Ms Ali had made calls to the police this year, following verbal altercations on the evenings of February 26 and May 22.

On the latter occasion Kabiri informed officers he was looking into finding new accommodation, away from the home he shared with his wife and their two children.

The court heard how Ms Ali, who left Somalia to move to Sheffield in 2004, was admitted to Northern General Hospital a week before her murder on June 29, after taking an overdose at her home address two days earlier. An assessment was subsequently carried out by the hospital’s liaison team, during which she divulged that she had been ‘domestically abused’ by her husband for the past 18 years, Det Con Glover said.

Ms Ali was later placed in a crisis house, and was twice asked whether she wanted to fill out a Domestic Abuse Stalking Harassment form, but refused on both occasions. Kabiri was seen to be repeatedly calling her during her time at the crisis house.

Det Con Glover said staff observed him behaving ‘unusually’ by ‘peering through windows’ when he came to pick her up on June 3, 2022.

Ms Ali was not seen by staff at the crisis house again after she left with Kabiri hours before her death on June 4, following a call from her son asking when she would be returning home, the court heard.

Mr Eccleston said a domestic homicide review is to be held into Ms Ali’s death, involving the relevant agencies, and recorded a conclusion of unlawful killing.

Mr Eccleston noted that statutory guidelines prevent him from naming any one party as being responsible for an individual’s death, but said it was ‘clear that the perpetrator of the attack was Vahid Kabiri’.

He added: “I am satisfied that there was evidence of a violent relationship, where Kabiri was violent to Saira. This was a case where the context was domestic abuse.”

"It’s clear that tension built in early June ‘22 and Saira did seek help from services. We heard evidence of her stays in hospital and the crisis house.

"On June 4, Saira left accommodation and returned home, and Kabiri then killed her, in a violent knife attack in the early hours of June 5, 2022.

"The attack resulted in multiple deep wounds that were unsurvivable.”