A man who stabbed his wife 28 times in the street says the court should be lenient because he was acting in self-defence.

Muzaffer Begdillili, 43, is accused of stabbing his wife Sakine Begdillili, 30, in the neighbourhood of Gulalibey in the city of Corum in the northern Turkish province of the same name on 23rd February 2019.

He told the court that they should also show leniency because he had been unjustly provoked after discovering his wife, who was divorcing him at the time, allegedly texting another man, and then claimed she became aggressive when he challenged her, forcing him to stab her 28 times to defend himself.

Begdillili’s lawyers have demanded the defendant’s charges be reduced to attempted murder as a result of unfair provocation because of the victim’s behaviour.

According to the news site Haberler, the incident happened when the victim was confronted by her estranged husband in the street and the row started after he accused of texting another man.

He then stabbed his wife, who was separated from him at the time, a total of 28 times.

Luckily, doctors managed to save the young woman’s life and after her husband was arrested he was charged with attempted murder which means he could face between eight and 20 years in prison.

Begdillili told the court: “I went to talk to her on the day of the incident, but when she saw me she seemed to behave in a shifty way and was clearly up to some dirty business. She then sprayed Mace in my face in an unprovoked attack.

“As I was in shock and pain, I took out the knife and started to swing at her. I regret it very much.”

He insisted that it was purely for self-defence and added: “I never intended to kill the woman I loved, married, and had two children with.”

The victim had a different version, telling the court: “I was attacked with a knife by a person I am ashamed to call my husband. I now have almost as many stab wounds as my age.”

She added that the attack had also left her disabled and unable to regain full fitness.

The case continues.