A daughter of a man who is on trial for murdering his wife at the Adelaide Convention Centre has told the Supreme Court she saw her father being pulled off her mother with a knife in his hand.

Ziaolloh Abrahimzadeh allegedly murdered his wife in front of 300 people at a Persian community celebration at the Convention Centre in March 2010 by repeatedly stabbing her in the back.

The couple's eldest daughter, 25-year-old Atena, has testified against her father.

She told the court he was an abusive and aggressive man.

Ms Abrahimzadeh said her father regularly punished his wife and children by slapping and whipping them.

She said he once beat her for an hour after catching her talking to a boy on the phone and tried to suffocate her with a pillow.

The woman told the court her father said he was not a man if he did not teach his family a lesson and he swore on the Koran that he would kill them.

She said her mother was scared when she saw him arrive at the function and security staff had been asked to move him.

Ms Abrahimzadeh told the court she turned and saw her mother on the floor and her father was being restrained by up to 10 people, with a knife in his hand.

The trial continues.