MAN WHO STABBED WIFE TO DEATH IN SHOP FACES JAIL AFTER BRUTAL MURDER
This is the face of the man who bought a block of knives from Asda and duct tape from Poundland before he stabbed his estranged wife to death.Nimalarajah Mathiyadaranam was said to have knifed his former partner Nilani Nimalarajah a total of 18 times in the shop where she worked, Low Cost Food and Wine on Stanley Road in Bootle, due to his "anger" over not being invited to a family celebration.
The 47-year-old defendant earlier donned a "disguise" as he purchased the weapon used in the attack, which snapped due to the ferocity of the "merciless, sustained and extremely brutal" assault, in a supermarket before stashing it in a JD Sports bag and making his way to the scene on a bus.
He then downed whisky and "poisoned" himself with a pesticide after killing Nilani, having already been banned from contacting the 44-year-old mum of his three children due to previous episodes of "violence and harassment".
Mathiyadaranam had denied her murder and possession of a bladed article in a public place and went on trial at Liverpool Crown Court this week.
However, his counsel Tim Forte KC requested his rearraignment before the jury.
Having been seen with hands together in front of his face as if in prayer, Mathiyadaranam then admitted both charges in court.
He had previously pleaded guilty to two charges of breaching a restraining order.
Mathiyadaranam will be sentenced tomorrow, Friday.
Judge Brian Cummings KC said: "Mr Mathiyadaranam, stand up please.
You have now been convicted of all four counts on the indictment.
The next stage in the court process will be your sentence hearing.
That will take place tomorrow morning.
You will be brought to court for the purpose of that hearing.
You must attend, and an interpreter will of course be present for the purpose of the proceedings.
In the mean time, you remain in custody.
Mr Mathiyadaranam, please now go with the officer." Discharging the jury, Judge Cummings said: "That brings the trial to an end.
I am always extremely grateful to any jury for accepting its responsibility, regardless of the nature of the case.
I am even more grateful to you, having regard to the extremely grave nature of this case and the extremely unpleasant nature of some of the evidence you have been exposed to.
That concludes these proceedings, as far as you are concerned.
I discharge you with my thanks for your service on this jury." Prosecutor Annabel Darlow KC told jurors that on June 20th last year, the defendant, armed with a large knife, went to a convenience store in Bootle where his estranged wife was working.
He entered and stabbed her at least 18 times, targeting her chest and head, causing the knife tip to break off.
The case is that the attack was premeditated, with the defendant buying the knives and duct tape beforehand.
Ms Darlow highlighted his history of violence and harassment, and detailed how the defendant's anger about not being invited to a family celebration—after the second daughter's milestone—provoked the attack.
CCTV captured the murder, showing the deliberate and sustained stabbing until Nilani was close to death.
The assault was so brutal that the attacker continued even after the knife pierced her vital organs.
He only stopped when she was unconscious and severely injured, then he left the scene.
He traveled to Nilani's workplace in a disguise, purchased additional knives, and then waited outside the shop before attacking her.
The court heard he dragged her by the neck, stabbing her repeatedly until she collapsed.
Witnesses described his indifferent or unaffected behavior, including drinking whisky while the attack was ongoing.
The post-mortem revealed she had 14 stab wounds and four slash wounds across her body, some penetrating vital organs.
Mathiyadaranam admitted the killing, stating he was very upset after not seeing his daughters for 18 months and claimed he had drunk alcohol and taken poison, although he did not know what he had ingested.
Following the attack, he was found in a severely distressed state at the police station, with evidence of poisoning.
He later reported feelings of anger about his family and regret over not being invited to the celebrations.
The case underscores deliberate premeditation, cultural motivations, and his history of violence, culminating in his conviction in court.
