TORONTO – A South Asian man whodisguised himself in a Muslim woman’sgarment to strangle his estranged wifewas sentenced Wednesday to life inprison with no eligibility for parole for 17years, the Toronto Star reported.Abdul Malik Rustam, 30, donned a facecoveringburka and white wedge heels toget into 21-year-old Shaher BanoShahdady’s Scarborough apartment inJuly 2011, two weeks after she’d asked fora divorce.He pleaded guilty to second-degree murderlast month.Their 2-year-old son was left alone in theapartment for 15 hours beforeShahdady’s body was found on the bathroomfloor by her parents, SuperiorCourt Justice John McMahon said.That Rustam did nothing to alert anyoneto check on his son is impossible to fathomand shows “exceptionally callous disregardfor that child’s wellbeing,”McMahon said.“It’s hard to imagine what that child wentthrough,” the judge said. “The only glimmerof hope is that he was so young thathopefully it will fade into the child’smemory.”Before announcing the sentence,McMahon asked Rustam to stand up, saying:“You took the life of an innocentyoung woman. You denied your ownchild the love of his mother.”Shahdady, who came to Canada as a toddler,was 17 when she married Rustam inan arranged marriage in Pakistan, saidMcMahon.Soon after her marriage she becamepregnant and returned to Canada to givebirth to her son, who had serious heartproblems and had a heart transplant.Rustam, a Pakistani citizen, joined hertwo years later and moved in with herfamily.The couple, who had drifted apart overthe two years, argued over Shahdadyusing her cellphone and over her onlinefriendship with a man in Dubai, accordingto the agreed statement of facts.Her family also didn’t want her using acellphone or the Internet.The tension escalated until Shahdadyapplied for social assistance and obtainedher own apartment in Scarborough, awayfrom her parents’ home. She told Rustamshe wanted a divorce and moved to theapartment with her son two weeks beforeher murder.Rustam kept coming to visit her andasked to move in with her. She repeatedlyrefused.At 1 a.m. on Jul. 22, 2011, Rustam arrivedat the apartment in disguise, carrying apair of gloves and a backpack, a plan inmind to harm his wife, McMahon found.The “brutal murder” occurred soon afterhe entered the apartment, McMahonfound. The evidence indicates “thecourageous young woman fought for herlife, leaving deep scratches on Rustam’sface and his DNA under her fingernails,”said McMahon.A neighbour heard a “gasping scream”and the sounds of furniture being shuffledin that time, McMahon said. There isno evidence that an escalating argumenttook place, as suggested by the defence,he said.Rustam left an hour later, still in theburka and carrying a broken shoe, andwent back to the Shahdady family home,where he was living. That afternoon, aftergoing to work, he confessed to his brotherhe had “finished her by the throat.”Rustam went to back to Shahdady’sapartment that evening, arrivingmoments after her parents. “He walks in,sees the lifeless body of his wife andleaves immediately,” said McMahon. Hesaid nothing to Shahdady’s parents, whoentered the apartment to find Shadady’sbody in the bathroom and their grandsoncrying in the living room.Rustam went to 43 Division and confessedthat he intentionally killed his wife.Rustam is a man “of limited intelligence,”noted McMahon in his reasonsfor sentencing.McMahon noted that Shahdady’s parentsdid not submit a victim impact statement,only a plea for mercy for their “mentallyill” son-in-law, and that they forgive him.“Sadly, there is no word in that statementabout the loss of their daughter,” saidMcMahon.Shahdady’s younger brother, however,described the tremendous loss of his sister.Courtesy Toronto Star
