Woman used translation app to beg for help at school as abusive husband lurked
A brave woman used a translation app to plead for help at her son’s school while her abusive husband lurked outside.
Sobham Azizi had viciously beaten his wife of ten years with a metal pole in a sickening assault.
The 33-year-old from Rochdale left the woman with bruises all over her body after he kicked, punched and hit her with the two-inch thick pole on October 5 last year.
Before the attack he showed her the metal pole and promised: “This is for you,” and said he was going to “beat [her] so badly”.
The mum wasn’t allowed to leave her own home except to take her child to school and when she did Azizi demanded access to her phone so he could share her location.
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Sobhan Azizi (GMP)The morning after the brutal attack, as she dropped her child off at school, she found a teacher.
Using a translation app on her phone, she told them: “I’m in danger, please help me, please contact the police.”
But as she tried to get help from teachers, her abusive husband tried calling her, and when she didn’t pick up, came to the school and loitered around peering in through windows, a court heard.
Her bravery led to Azizi being taken to court and eventually jailed, after he admitted to assault occasioning actual bodily harm; and intentional suffocation.
He was jailed for a year and 10 months, The Manchester Evening News reported.
Minshull Street Crown Court heard Azizi, from Iran, moved to the UK in 2020 as an asylum seeker.
He was granted leave to remain for five years, before he applied for his wife and child to move over too.
Nicholas Roxborough, prosecuting, said: "The victim was only able to leave the house when taking her child to school.
"He would have her phone and turn the location services on, sharing it with himself.
"A few days before he bought a metal pole, two inches thick, and showed it to her, telling his wife 'this is for you'."
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Mr Roxborough continued: "The defendant said he was going to beat her, and he began to follow through with that, kicking and punching the complainant before hitting her with the metal pole.
"He also placed his hand over her mouth. She said she couldn’t breathe and got a pain in her chest."
Azizi said he put his hand over her mouth to stop her shouting at him.
As she dropped her child off at school the next morning, she feared another attack and made the “brave decision” to raise the alarm.
It was then she found the teacher and used the translation app to warn her what had happened.
The prosecution added: "The teacher alerted the safeguarding lead, who said it was clear she was visibly upset and shaking. They took her phone, which was ringing, and it became apparent that the defendant was ringing her.
"The phone did not stop for five minutes. A short time later they observed the defendant loitering around outside the school gates appearing agitated and peering into windows."
Azizi was arrested and later claimed he activated location services on her phone as she was new to the country and often “got lost”.
Mitigating, Constance Halliwell said her client was “deeply remorseful and regretful”.
She said: "He was in a paranoid state of mind as a result of coming to this country and changing religion.
"He was threatened by Muslim members of the family and faced persecution. There was significant trauma as a result of his escape from Iran, the same trauma for his wife."
Judge Recorder Andrew Mcloughlin said: "And the link between this persecution and hitting his wife with a metal police is?"
"There is no link, Your Honour. That's purely an explanation of his background and state of mind at the time," Ms Halliwell said.
Recorder McLoughlin said: "It's clear to me that the placement of those injuries mean that you repeatedly struck her with that metal pole and I have concluded that this was a prolonged assault. She had to go to her children's school and seek refuge."
Azizi, of Marlborough Street, Heywood, was made the subject of a restraining order banning him from contacting his wife for seven years.
For confidential support, call the 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Freephone Helpline on 0808 2000 247 or visit womensaid.co.uk If you or your family have lost a friend or family member through fatal domestic abuse, AAFDA (Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse) can offer specialist and expert support and advocacy.
For more info visit www.aafda.org.uk
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