News Review ausdoc . com . au 14 FEBRUARY 2025
Murder of aspiring doctor a case study in non-lethal strangulation
AAP
Rachel Fieldhouse Reporter
Armina Hayat was 19 when she was killed by her violent husband .
“
THERE is no joy , no laughter , only suffering and pain . My tears are never-ending and the deep ache in my heart never stops .” These are the words of the mother of
Armina Hayat .
Armina was an aspiring doctor studying medical science at Western Sydney University , having moved with her family from Bangladesh to Australia as a child .
Aged just 19 and pregnant with her first child , she was murdered by her husband just four months after their marriage .
The killing stands as another unwanted case study of the lethal trajectory of domestic violence .
The Supreme Court of NSW was told that she had first met Meraj Zafar through mutual friends in 2018 . At the time she was in high school , and they started seeing each other on a regular basis the following year .
The relationship was turbulent and there were clear signs of what was to come . Having previously told friends that he had been violent towards her , in May 2021 she ended up calling a friend at 2.20am in the morning , seriously distressed and asking if she could come and stay with them .
“ Her friend agreed . When [ she ] arrived shortly afterwards , she was crying ,” the trial judge said . “ Her friend saw bruising around her throat , finger marks and thumb marks on the left side of her neck and bruising on her cheek , left wrist , left arm and thigh .”
Armina said that she had had an argument and Zafar had hit her .
“ The next day she went to the home of another friend ,” the judge continued . “ She was crying and upset . She told her friend that … he had put his hands around her neck , resulting in her becoming unconscious .”
Although not mentioned in the judge ’ s sentencing remarks , non-lethal strangulation is now recognised as a major red flag for murder , partly based on a landmark 2007 study in the Journal of Emergency Medicine .
It found victims are six times more likely to be a victim of attempted murder by their partner and seven times more likely to be murdered .
Armina did not call the police at any point during the relationship .
A few months after the strangulation , they began discussing marriage , with Zafar telephoning her father , Abu Hayat ,
and then confronting him in the street when he refused to talk .
The father ’ s refusal to discuss the issue resulted in another phone call where Zafar told him “ I will kill you ”.
A provisional AVO was made to protect Armina ’ s father .
The Islamic marriage took place a few days later and Armina moved to an apartment in North Parramatta where , according to the Supreme Court , neighbours heard muffled sounds of arguing around once a fortnight .
Within weeks , she sent a friend a photograph of herself with her left cheek red and swollen .
When police were to later analyse Zafar ’ s mobile phone messages to Armina , they found many relating to his “ aggressive behaviour , his bashing [ of ] her and choking her , her pregnancy , that she wanted to end the relationship , that she was scared , [ and ] that she was going to tell the police about his beating [ of ] her ”.
He told her that she did not have permission to leave the house , calling her a “ dumb bitch ”.
Police would eventually find her body at their home on 30 January 2022 in a bathtub submerged in hydrochloric acid .
Two days before she had sent a text message to her friend saying she regretted the marriage . “ I have nobody except you ,” she wrote . Her friend replied : “ You have got no choice . You have to stay with him .” Armina replied , saying : “ No , I hate him .” Her friend then sent repeated text messages to her from 9:17pm onwards over the course of two days but received no reply .
The judge said that Armina was killed sometime before 9.55pm . Zafar had smothered her .
‘ She told her friend that … he had put his hands around her neck , resulting in her becoming unconscious .‘
After the killing , he called a friend saying he had been scratched by his wife and that the relationship was toxic . He did not reveal what he had done .
He had conducted internet searches with the terms “ Can hydrochloric acid burn through skin ” before driving his work truck to Bunnings in Westmead where he bought a 20L tub of hydrochloric acid .
He ended up buying four more tubs ,
Armina , and below , with her father , Abu .
putting the acid in the bathtub in an attempt to dispose of her .
The judge said he eventually phoned his mother telling her that Armina was not breathing .
“[ Zafar ’ s ] mother told him to call the ambulance to assist her ,” the judge wrote . “ He replied : ‘ I ’ m not gonna call the ambulance , I ’ m scared . The police will get me and they will put me in jail .’
“ The offender ’ s mother again told him to call the ambulance . He repeated he did not want to , as he did not want to go to jail . [ Zafar ] asked his mother how much a ticket to go overseas was .”
When his mother decided to call an ambulance herself , the police arrived at the unit to discover Armina ’ s body .
They found Armina naked , lying face down in the bathtub with her face hidden , a brown liquid covering the lower portion of her body .
Justice Deborah Sweeney acknowledged the grief of Armina ’ s family in her sentencing remarks .
She also noted Zafar ’ s guilty plea prior to the trial starting , and that he showed remorse in an apology letter .
“ He mixed his expressions of remorse with concern for the consequences of his crime for himself , but I accept his remorse is genuine .”
She sentenced the 23-year-old to 21 years and six months in prison — 16 years without parole .
Armina ’ s mother , Mahafuza Akter , remembered her as a beautiful daughter , loving sister and dedicated student who would have helped thousands as a “ wonderful medical doctor ”.
In a victim statement read out to the court , she said she would give PAGE 6