Brit who stabbed his wife through the head with a screwdriver in their Istanbul hotel room is jailed for life for her murder in Turkey
Ahmed Yasin Muse was convicted on Thursday of killing his wife, Ayan Mohomed Dhoba, 26, following a violent argument during a trip to Turkey.
By KEVIN ADJEI-DARKO, SENIOR FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER
Published: 10:34 GMT, 29 December 2025 | Updated: 11:08 GMT, 29 December 2025
A British man who murdered his wife by stabbing her through the head with a screwdriver in a hotel room in Istanbul has been sentenced to life in prison by a Turkish court.
Ahmed Yasin Muse was convicted on Thursday of killing his wife, Ayan Mohomed Dhoba, 26, following a violent argument during a trip to Turkey.
Judges at Istanbul’s 41st Heavy Penal Court ruled that the killing was deliberate and carried out with extreme brutality, imposing an aggravated life sentence.
The court rejected Muse’s claims that he was suffering from psychological problems at the time of the attack.
A forensic assessment concluded that Muse, who was 28 at the time of the murder, was fully criminally responsible for his actions.
The couple, both British nationals, had travelled to Istanbul together from England on November 11, 2023, and were staying at a hotel in the Fatih district.
Dhoba was found dead inside their room three days later, after staff alerted emergency services.
Prosecutors said she had suffered multiple injuries to her throat and body and was ultimately killed when Muse drove a screwdriver into her head.
Ahmed Yasin Muse has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his wife in a hotel room in Turkey
CCTV images from the hotel captured Muse leaving before getting into a taxi
Police later recovered the weapon from the hotel bathroom, where Muse admitted he had thrown it.
Hotel staff are said to have been concerned when they heard 'sounds' coming from the couple's room.
Security camera footage shown to the court reportedly captured Muse leaving the hotel alone shortly after the killing.
He was arrested a short time later, wearing a bloodstained T-shirt as he attempted to leave the area by taxi.
Cops were able to arrest him by contacting the taxi driver and instructing him to drive to the nearest police station.
During earlier police interviews, Muse confessed to the attack and claimed the couple had argued after his wife offered him drugs.
He also told officers he was taking medication for mental health issues, a defence that was ultimately dismissed by the court.
His claim of having a 'psychological disorder' is said to have been refuted by the 4th Specialisation Board of the Forensic Medicine Institute.
Dhoba was pronounced dead at the scene after paramedics were called to the hotel.
The hotel in Turkey, where authorities say Ayan Mohomed Dhoba was murdered
Turkish authorities charged Muse with the intentional killing of a spouse and murder committed with monstrous intent, offences that carry the most severe penalties under Turkish law.