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A devoted Muslim has been told by a judge he holds "medieval" attitudes towards women after murdering his wife simply because he disapproved of her looking after men in her role as a care assistant.

Imran Khan sent spouse Nasreen a series of text message claiming she was disobeying Islam.

The 38-year-old told her: "If you go to men's houses and lie to me I get angry. If you play games I get angry."

He then stabbed her to death with a kitchen knife later that day in a frenzied attack.

The attack took place at the couple's home in Cheadle, Greater Manchester, which they shared with their three children.

He told police afterwards: "Never get an arranged marriage bro."

Khan had warned his wife: "It's not halal for you to work with men" in the lead up to the April attack.

Police also found a text message sent to 38-year old Nasreen from her husband.

It read: "I have told you 10 times there are three people whose prayers will not be accepted by Allah - a fleeing slave until he returns to his master, a woman whose husband is angry with her, until he is pleased with her, and a drunkard until he becomes conscious.

(Image: MEN)

"If you don't listen to me I get angry."

At Manchester Crown Court Khan, admitted murder.

He was jailed for life with a minimum requirement he serve 20 years.

Judge Patrick Field QC told him: "Nasreen worked hard to support her family and was good at that job but by contrast you are a selfish and controlling man, did little to support your family and your wife, instead you sought to determine how she should live her life, expressing your disapproval of her choice of work.

"You did not want Nasreen to have contact with other men, even though they were her clients, and her duties involved no more than administering medication and warming their food.

"It appears your disapproval was born out of some outdated, almost medieval notion of how a wife should behave. You ordered her to stop - and she wouldn't.

"Unless anybody should think this was some kind of cultural clash let it be said that the evidence shows that your parents and sister were entirely supportive of Nasreen's choice.

"You nevertheless decided that no wife of yours should be caring for men.

"Behind the traditional line taken in your texts, appeared to lurk an element of jealousy of your wife's independence of mind and a resentment of her defiance of your orders.

(Image: MEN)

"In certainly appears to me to be the case, in any event, you became incredibly angry, to the point that you determined that your solution was to kill Nasreen."

The couple married in an arranged union in 1999 after Khan's family travelled to Pakistan but the marriage was stormy.

He spent family money on himself and claimed his wife would pretend to be asleep to avoid them getting intimate with each other.

In December 2015 Nasreen got a job with Homecare Services looking after both vulnerable men and women telling relatives she wanted to "gain experience and independence, and help support her family."

But Khan was unhappy with her job and the fact she had one-to-one contact with men.

He sent her vitriolic text messages suggesting "Allah would not approve."

On the day she was killed, Nasreen confided in her boss about her husband's behaviour saying: "I can't take it anymore, I don't know what to do" and the employer offered to speak to Khan.

But as the discussed the situation, Nasreen got another text from her husband saying: "It's not halal for you to work with men. I don't give permission. I told you no men when you started."

In another text, he claimed she was committing "Haram" which means 'forbidden' in Islam saying: "If she can't get you a rota with no men then leave the job, I don't give you permission for that, so listen to what I'm telling you, you are my wife, let me remind you you are married.

"If you go another man's house again then you are doing Haram. Don't ignore this again and again It's Haram what you're doing."

That night the couple began arguing after Nasreen showed the text messages to their eldest daughter. Khan went out only to return an hour later saying: 'I have got no choice - I'm going to kill her and kill myself.'

He then stormed into the kitchen and stabbed his wife eight time before emerging with a 'twisted and crazy" expression on his face.

Nasreen was given first aid at the scene but died of her injuries.

Khan fled to a friend's house and gave himself up later and told officers: "I don't know what I have done - it's like a bad dream. I always loved her - I never meant to do nothing." .

In court Khan claimed he carried out the killing at a time when he was 'shocked and devastated' after his wife told him 'she never loved him and that the marriage was over.'

But after the case Senior Investigating Officer, Duncan Thorpe, from Greater Manchester Police said: "This is a tragic incident which has left a mother dead and three children without parents. My heart goes out to them; they are the ones who have lost out most here.

"Imran Khan is a controlling individual.

"His actions on that fateful night have left his and Nasreen's family and friends devastated."