Story By: Kathryn Quinn, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News

A man has been arrested for allegedly killing his wife and almost severing her head with an axe after first running her over when he found her living at a women’s refuge.

The alleged attacker Imad A., 34, had been born in Germany to Tunisian parents and had met his teacher wife Sana, 31, in Tunisia where they married and had two children.

Up until four years ago, they had lived in a ground-floor apartment in Andernach, a town in the district of Mayen-Koblenz, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The family then moved to a house about ten minutes away.

Sana had been teaching Arabic in a local school and former neighbours thought they and their two children, aged 2 and 3, seemed to be a perfect family. A former neighbour said: “I was friends with Imad and Sana. He was a model dad. Everyone was happy that such a nice family had moved here.”

But that ended when she fled together with their children and had sought shelter in the women’s refuge after he accused her of being unfaithful, and she accused him of violence, but he tracked her down and officials had reportedly been planning to move her shortly before she was murdered.

According to video footage which police objected to being shown, although they did allow the media to take these still images, an Audi A6 Avant allegedly being driven by Imad A. can be seen driving at a woman in a headscarf on the pavement, sending her flying 30 metres (100 feet) through the air.

A man can then be seen getting out with an axe and hacking at her five times in a fit of rage, almost beheading her and cracking her skull.

Sana died at the scene. Experts believe she may have died after being hit by the car, but investigations continue.

In August Imad A. is said to have told his neighbour that she went to take care of her mother in her native homeland, in Tunisia. But just two weeks ago, he reportedly admitted to his neighbour that his wife had left him.

The neighbour continued: “He said she would not come back and wanted to know if I could imagine who may have helped her. He said he did not want her back, only the children.”

Sana A. had however moved to the refuge in Limburg, around 60 kilometres (37 miles) away.

She was living in a women’s shelter in the town and was looking for her own flat. She told a friend that Imad A. had never been a good father.

A friend of the woman told local media: “She wanted to start afresh. She has suffered for years with her husband.”

But Imad did not leave her alone. Through a contact of his sister in the registration office he allegedly found out her new address.

Imad was arrested at the scene and is currently being remanded in custody pending investigations over murder charges. Imad is currently allegedly refusing to speak to investigators. A judge extended the period for him to be held while investigations continue.

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