A husband who stabbed his 33-year-old wife to death in a jealous rage has been jailed for life.

Richard Nyawanda Otunga, 37, of Taywood Road, Northolt , murdered Shamim Gabriel on December 29 at their home after he thought she was having affairs with other men.

He was convicted on Friday (July 11), and today (July 14) ordered to serve a minimum of 22 years behind bars.

Police were called at about 7am on the Sunday in December following reports of an injured woman.

They attended the scene with the London Ambulance Service but Ms Gabriel was pronounced dead 25 minutes later.

Otunga claimed his wife tried to attack him with a knife which he took off her and in the course of the struggle she was stabbed over 30 times.

Otunga was arrested after he called his father-in-law to the house following the stabbing saying he had had an argument with his wife.

He was subsequently charged with murder.

Otunga and his wife had been married since 2003 and had an eight-year-old daughter.

Detective Chief Inspector Chris Jones of the Homicide and Major Crime Command (HMCC) said: “Richard Otunga was a jealous controlling man who could not accept his wife having any contact with other men.

“Otunga tried to convince the jury that he had feared an immediate threat of violence from his wife and then lost control. The jury clearly did not accept this and have returned a verdict of murder.

“He tried to state that his wife had been having affairs but there was no evidence whatsoever to substantiate this.

“The family of Shamim who have had to give evidence at court have acted with great dignity and I hope that this conviction and sentence can be some comfort for them.”