A man who stabbed his wife in an unprovoked attack has been jailed for 19 years for her attempted murder.

Zef Gjoni, 28, attacked his wife at their home in Thornton Heath with two knives after realising she had taken her phone with her to the bathroom and contacted a family member at around 4am on April 1, 2020.

Gjoni had stopped her from contacting her mother in Romania just hours before.

The victim suffered a total of at least 17 discernible stab wounds, and a collapsed lung.

Today at Croydon Crown Court, Gjoni was sentenced to 19 years in prison and a further five years on extended licence.

He had been found guilty of one count of attempted murder following a trial at the same court.

During the attack, Gjoni put a duvet over the victim’s head and asked: “Have you not died yet?”

The victim pleaded for Gjoni to stop and call an ambulance.

When he finally called 999, he told the operator that he and his wife had had an argument and that she had stabbed herself in the heart two or three times.

Police and paramedics arrived and the victim was able to tell them through a Romanian interpreter that the injuries had been inflicted by Gjoni. He was arrested at the scene.

Thea Viney, from the CPS, said: “This was a senseless and violent attack inside a marital home.

“Zef Gjoni armed himself with two kitchen knives before launching an unprovoked attack on his own wife just because she wanted to speak to her family.

"The victim who has since left the country, is lucky to be alive.

“During police interview Gjoni told officers that the Coronavirus lockdown had upset his wife because she was being separated from her family in Romania.

"He told them she had been cutting herself in the bathroom, but the jury was able to see through this blatant lie.

“The prosecution case included medical evidence and statements from the victim who had to spend two weeks in hospital recovering from her stab wounds.

“The CPS is absolutely committed to securing justice for victims of domestic abuse and will always prosecute these cases where there is the evidence to do so.”