A man who fatally wounded his wife in front of their infant son after locating her at a shelter had disclosed to medical professionals that he had considered taking his own life or hers, as detailed in a trial.

The victim, Kulsuma Akter, aged 27, was tragically murdered by her 26-year-old husband, Habibur Masum, when he approached her on the street as she pushed their seven-month-old baby in a pram on April 6 the preceding year.

Having traced Ms. Akter to a shelter in Bradford, where she had sought refuge from January 2024, Masum discovered her whereabouts. She had sought refuge there following an incident where Masum reportedly threatened her with a knife during an attack at their residence in Oldham in November 2023.

Giving evidence at Bradford Crown Court on Tuesday, Masum stated that the couple met and married in Bangladesh and came to the UK in 2022 after he obtained a student visa to study for a Master’s degree in Marketing.

Masum, who spoke through a Bengali interpreter, described their relationship as having “occasional disagreements or arguments” regarding their living situation, noting that she would sometimes “block him” when she was angry.

He said in court, “I used to feel if I couldn’t be with her, I would die.”

Jurors heard that in August 2022, the police found Masum at a tram station, where he had stayed overnight after an argument with Ms. Akter. He was taken to the hospital, where he told a doctor, “I feel like I would kill her,” and that during fights, he felt he might harm her.

Medical records indicated that he had disclosed thoughts of harming both himself and Ms. Akter and admitted to carrying a knife while experiencing these thoughts. Masum stated in court that he had never carried a knife in Ms. Akter’s presence.

When asked by his barrister, Frida Hussain KC, why he made those comments at the hospital, he responded, “I said: ‘I feel I’m having some mental health issues and I would like to share something with the doctor.’ I just wanted to share all that with the doctor.”

The court heard that he was advised to register with a GP and seek support from his university.

Masum described feeling “depressed” but admitted that he never sought help from a GP. The court also heard that he and Ms. Akter moved in together in September 2022, though they continued to have arguments.

He explained that in July 2023, one of Kulsuma’s brothers came to the UK, and he had objected to him staying with them, citing “privacy and space issues.” On July 5, following another argument, Ms. Akter left to stay with family members, who contacted the police, reporting that Masum was threatening to kill himself if she did not return.

When asked if he was looking for a knife to harm himself, Masum replied, “Yes.” However, he later denied having thoughts of self-harm when the police arrived.

Jurors learned that Ms. Akter returned, and their child was born in September. Masum stated that after the alleged assault in November, he became very depressed.

He said, “I used to think a lot about my son. I was separated from my son, and I missed him a lot. I also thought about my wife. I wondered why she had separated me from my son when I hadn’t done anything to her.”

Masum expressed that he was unable to focus on work or take care of himself and was having suicidal thoughts, stating, “I thought if I ended my life, I wouldn’t struggle with this constant pain of missing them.”

He denies murdering Ms. Akter but has pleaded guilty to manslaughter and possession of a knife. He also denies two charges of assault, a count of making threats to kill, and one charge of stalking.

The trial continues.