Hussein Yusuf Egal, left, murdered his wife Maryan Ismail, right, in their Edmonton flat — *Hussein Yusuf Egal, left, murdered his wife, Maryan Ismail, in their Edmonton flat*

Life imprisonment for husband who murdered wife in ‘ferocious’ case of domestic violence

A man who attacked and killed his wife in their Edmonton flat has been given a life sentence.

Hussein Yusuf Egal, 66, was convicted of the murder of 57-year-old Maryan Ismail in a trial at the Old Bailey that ended last week.

He was sentenced at the same court on Friday 26th February and told he would serve a minimum of 22 years.

Egal had admitted killing Maryan but claimed he was acting in self-defence during a domestic argument last year. This claim was later proven false.

The court heard how, in the early evening of Monday 6th April 2020, police received a call from a member of the public. He stated that Egal had approached him in the foyer of the flats in South Mall, Edmonton Green, and confessed to killing his wife.

When police officers arrived, Egal told them: “I killed her yesterday morning”. In the flat, officers found Maryan covered with a purple duvet. She had suffered extensive head injuries as well as multiple other injuries all over her body; paramedics from the London Ambulance Service pronounced her dead at the scene.

Egal was interviewed by police and provided a statement saying he had argued with Maryan after he developed symptoms of Covid-19 and she asked him to move out.

Detective Sergeant Lucy Carberry said: “The officers who discovered Maryan’s body were faced with a truly terrible scene. Maryan had suffered extensive injuries and the turmoil and disorder in the flat showed there had been a considerable disturbance. Egal claimed he was defending himself, but there was no indication of him suffering any injuries.

“This was a wanton act of violence, carried out with sheer ferocity. It is important, particularly in the current climate with isolation and periods of lockdown that all of us do everything we can to stop domestic violence.

“If you are suffering from domestic violence I implore you to seek help, if you feel in danger, always call police. If you suspect someone is suffering from domestic violence make the phone call and tell police.

“That call could save a life and save you from a lifetime of regret.”

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