Mother-of-two, 55, who wanted a divorce woke up to husband trying to kill her

A mother of two has revealed that her husband of 25 years tried to kill her by suffocating her with a pillow and stabbing her in the head after she filed for divorce.

Shahla Walker, 55, from Gateshead, married Nezam Ghalate, 53, in 1995, but after welcoming two daughters, their marriage began to fall apart.

In January 2022, she she told Nezam that she wanted a divorce, before waking up to find that he had attacked her.

His screams woke up his 18-year-old daughter, who struck her father with a lamp and eventually resorted to stabbing him in the head in a desperate effort to save her mother.

Shahla survived the gruesome attack but was left with 14 stab wounds to her face and neck, as well as a broken arm.

Nezam pleaded guilty to attempted murder and was sentenced to 20 years at Newcastle-upon-Tyne Crown Court.

Shahla believes that the pressure to provide as a husband, but also as a father, took a toll on Nezam and his mental health worsened over the years.

Shahla, who was unable to work, said: ‘That night will haunt me for the rest of my life.

‘I still can’t believe my husband of 25 years tried to kill me. But I am determined to stay strong for my daughters.

Shahla and Nezam got married in 1995 and initially shared a happy marriage together.

She said: “But as time went on, the life we ​​had built together wasn’t good enough for him and he became miserable.”

‘Years later, he developed severe anxiety. It was so bad that he would shake me at night saying that there was someone in the garden, but there was never anyone there.

I was so worried about him.

In 2000, Shahla told Nezam to go to the GP and was subsequently prescribed medication for anxiety.

The couple, over the next few years, had two daughters who are now 12 and 18 years old.

She added: ‘The pressure to provide not only as a husband, but also as a father came to Nezam.

Shahla and Nezam got married in 1995 and initially shared a happy marriage together, but as the years passed, their relationship started to fall apart.

In January 2022, she told Nezam that she wanted to get a divorce before she woke up to find out that he had attacked her. She was seriously injured

‘However, he was never able to find a job, and I was busy taking care of our children.

“Her mental health worsened and every time she left the house, she would constantly call and text me begging me to come home.

“He also stopped taking his tablets and going to his medical appointments.”

Nezam accused Shahla of having affairs and began to self-medicate with marijuana and alcohol.

Shahla said: ‘We argued endlessly. Every time she threatened to leave him, she fell into a deep depression.

He warned me that he was going to jump off a bridge if he ever left it and it would break my heart.

The couple married in the ’90s and had two children, however their marriage took a turn for the worse as Nezam’s health worsened.

The life the couple had built together was not good enough for Nezam and he became miserable.

Nezam accused Shahla of having affairs and began to self-medicate with marijuana and alcohol.

The couple’s relationship began to fall apart, with Shahla confessing that they argued ‘non-stop’, while their children urged them to end the marriage.

“I was constantly telling him that he couldn’t do that to me or the girls. He was trapped. After I gave him another chance, he promised to get help, but he never did.

“As the girls grew older and wiser, they also became concerned and urged me to end things.”

Shahla reached breaking point in January 2022 and told Nezam that he wanted a divorce.

‘Nezam just stared at me and said nothing. It was our oldest daughter’s 18th birthday the next day, so I told her we’d tell the girls the next day.

Shahla took her daughter to her birthday the next day before returning home in the evening.

Nezam watched television in silence, while his other daughter did her homework.

Shahla told Nezam that she was going to sleep and went up to bed, when she was suddenly woken up because she couldn’t breathe.

She said: ‘Someone was on top of me. They were suffocating me with a pillow. I thought it was an intruder and started yelling for Nezam to help.

“I felt something sharp hit my head and then again in the face. It was a knife.

‘In agony, I begged the person to stop. But they kept pushing the pillow down harder and my screams were muffled.

After the mother-of-two filed for divorce, her husband attacked her, hitting her with a knife and trying to suffocate her.

‘Suddenly, I heard my eldest daughter’s voice and she was yelling, “Please, Daddy, stop! Mommy loves you.”

I realized that it was Nezam. I couldn’t understand it.

Nezam struck Shahla over the head again with the knife and she fought for her life.

As he stabbed her in the neck, shoulders and head, her daughter begged him to stop.

Nezam said to his daughter: ‘She does not love. I want to kill her. She makes me crazy.’

His daughter began to beat her father with lamps and objects in the bedroom until she ran into the kitchen, grabbed a knife, and stabbed him in the head.

Meanwhile, Shahla and Nezam’s youngest daughter, who woke up from shock, was on the phone with the emergency services.

Shahla added: “When Nezam was stabbed, he groaned and collapsed on the ground. I was finally able to breathe.

“But when I tried to run, he grabbed me again.

“We got into a fight and he pressed a pillow against my face again, but this time with his knees.

‘I knew I was going to die. But my daughter’s voice telling me to stay with her kept me alive.’

Moments later, Shahla passed out, but police and paramedics stormed in and pulled Nezam from Shahla.

Shahla was given the blue light at Newcastle-upon-Tyne Hospital, where she underwent a nine-hour emergency surgery.

He survived and was left with 14 stab wounds to the head, shoulders and neck, a broken arm and in need of an emergency blood transfusion.

Nezam was also admitted to the same hospital with stab wounds, but his injuries were not serious and he was quickly arrested.

Shahla said: ‘When I recovered in the hospital, I was hysterical. She did not understand how my husband could try to kill me.

Shahla has since developed PTSD and feels that her face, jaw and hands still have not returned to normal after the attack.

Nezam pleaded guilty to attempted murder and was sentenced to 20 years at Newcastle-upon-Tyne Crown Court.

He had never laid a finger on me before. The pain in my heart was worse than my wounds.

‘When I saw my reflection, I didn’t recognize myself. I was black and blue.

In October 2022, Nezam Ziae Ghalate, now 53, from Gateshead, Newcastle, pleaded guilty to attempted murder at Newcastle-upon-Tyne Crown Court and was sentenced to 20 years.

Shahla says: ‘I was relieved that he was locked up and also the girls. They never wanted to see their dad again and neither did I.

“I have since developed PTSD and my face, jaw and hands have not returned to normal. I have physio every week and I hide my scars with makeup and hair.

‘I’m trying to focus on being the best mom I can right now. I will always be grateful to the girls for saving my life.

The mother-of-two said she is now “trying to focus on being the best mother she can be” and said she is “forever grateful” that her children saved her life.