What killer googled after evil acid bath murder

WARNING: Graphic content.

After viciously killing his pregnant wife and submerging her corpse in a bath of hydrochloric acid, Meraj Zafar googled “how many years do you in Sydney get for murder”.

On Thursday he got his answer as the violent abuser was jailed for at least 16 years after he killed his wife Arnima Hayat in a controlling rage.

Zafar, 20, appeared before the Supreme Court in Sydney, hanging his head as he was sentenced for murdering his 19-year-old wife.

Ms Hayat’s mother broke down in tears and fell to the floor after Justice Deborah Sweeney handed down her sentence on Thursday morning.

The couple had been married for four months when Zafar murdered Ms Hayat at their North Parramatta apartment on January 29, 2022.

The court was told that at the time, the aspiring doctor and second-year medical school student was attempting to end their marriage, which had been marred by violence and unhappiness.

Zafar bought 100 litres of hydrochloric acid from a Northmead Bunnings after murdering his wife and placed her body in the bathtub in an attempt to dispose of her remains and cover up his crime.

He married Ms Hayat in a secret Islamic ceremony in October 2021 which was not attended by either of their families.

Police took out an apprehended violence order protecting Ms Hayat in May 2021 after an enraged Zafar put his hands around her neck when he believed she had been seen with another man.

The court was told police found text messages on Ms Hayat’s phone telling her husband she wanted a divorce and threatening to go to police because he was violent towards her.

There was also evidence of his controlling behaviour, telling her she did not have his permission to leave the house and calling her a “dumb bitch”, the court was told.

She had also told friends that he had been aggressive and violent towards her.

The court heard that in the hours before she died, she messaged a friend saying: “I have nobody except you.”

When the friend replied that she had no choice but to stay with him, she replied: “No, I hate him.”

Ms Hayat’s body was found naked and face down in a bathtub full of hydrochloric acid.

The court heard that with his wife’s lifeless body sitting inside their apartment, he called his mother and told they had been involved in an altercation and Ms Hayat had been knocked unconscious.

Despite his mother urging him to call an ambulance, he refused, telling her: “I’m not gonna call the ambulance, I’m scared. The police will get me and they will put me in gaol.”

“The offender asked his mother how much a ticket to go overseas was,” Justice Sweeney told the court during her sentencing remarks on Thursday.

His mother finally called emergency services at 4.32pm with police having to force their way into their home by kicking down the door before making the grisly discovery.

She was found lying face down, partially submerged in a brown liquid with five 20-litre bottles of acid sitting in the bathroom and a strong chemical smell in the air.

Her body had to be identified using DNA.

The court was told that after killing his wife, by either smothering her or choking her, he googled “can hydrochloric acid burn through skin” and “how many years do you get in Sydney for murder”.

During a sentence hearing last month, Ms Hayat’s grieving mother Mahafuza Akter said her life fell apart the day her daughter was murdered.

She told the court her tears were “never ending” and “the deep ache in my heart never stops”. “I cry day and night because she was stolen from me,” she said through tears.

In a letter addressed to the court and his victim’s family, Zafar said he took full responsibility and apologised for his action.

The murderer said no one should be treated with violence or “discarded” in the way his wife had been.

“In sentencing, Mr Zafar I must indicate the dignity of the victim is high, and express the community’s disapproval of the crime against her,” Justice Sweeney said.

Justice Sweeney on Thursday sentenced Zafar to 21 years and six months in jail, with a 16-year non-parole period.