A British millionaire City trader has been sentenced in Italy to four years and eight months in prison for beating up his model ex-girlfriend and threatening to set fire to her house.
Ajaz Shah Hussain, 38, also burned his terrified Rania Baffoun, 28, in the face with a hot iron as “punishment” during their 18-month stormy relationship, the court heard.
One of the exhibits in the case against him was the iron, and vivid images of the injuries she sustained were shown in court – although he claimed Rania “grazed the iron” while he was using it.
Prosecutor Davide Ercolani told the court in Rimini, Italy, how Hussain, who was CEO of a foreign trading company called Fortitude Capital, was arrested after police were called to Rania’s home.
The married father-of-two Hussain – who has luxury properties in Knightsbridge and Milan – was arrested after driving to Rimini in his gold-tone, UK-registered £165,000 Lamborghini.
The court heard witnesses describe how he screamed and threatened to release a sex tape the couple made before attempting to set the car on fire in January 2020.
British millionaire city trader Ajaz Shah Hussain has been sentenced in Italy to four years and eight months in prison for beating up his model ex-girlfriend and threatening to set her house on fire
One of the exhibits in the case against him was the iron, and vivid images of the injuries she sustained were shown in court – although he claimed Rania “grazed the iron” while he was using it
Ajaz Shah Hussain, 38, also burned his terrified Rania Baffoun, 28, (pictured) in the face with a hot iron as “punishment” during their 18-month stormy relationship, the court heard
Mr Ercolani explained how Rania, who is of Tunisian origin but has Italian nationality, has been a repeated victim of domestic violence and has been hospitalized twice with her injuries.
She said he burned her with a hot iron as “punishment”, and in August 2019 police were called to the Milan flat they were sharing after Hussain allegedly strangled her and slapped her in the face.
Mr Ercolani told the court how a “simple household appliance was turned into a deadly weapon” as he showed the shocked hearing pictures of burns on Rania’s face.
He also described how Hussain filmed himself threatening his girlfriend with a knife, saying he would kill her and then “hire the best and most expensive lawyers” to get rid of him.
Hussain also attempted to convict Rania outside his Knightsbridge flat in December 2020, and she had then opted to leave him and return to her Rimini home to escape his abusive controlling behavior, the court heard.
When he was arrested outside her home, the prosecutor said he yelled at the police: “You don’t scare me, you can’t hurt me because I can buy whoever I want.”
The married father-of-two Hussain – who has luxury properties in Knightsbridge and Milan – was arrested after driving to Rimini in his £165,000 gold-colored British Lamborghini (pictured).
When Hussain was arrested outside her home (pictured), the prosecutor said he yelled at the police: “You don’t scare me, you can’t hurt me because I can buy whoever I want.”
Prosecutor Davide Ercolani told the court in Rimini, Italy, how Hussain, who was CEO of a foreign trading company called Fortitude Capital, was arrested after police were called to Rania’s home. Pictured: Court documents showing Hussain’s mugshot after his arrest
Hussain – who is originally from Solihull – failed to appear in court and was sentenced in his absence, and officers will now try to extradite him to Italy to serve his sentence.
In a statement to the court, he had claimed Rania was a high-class prostitute with whom he had fallen in love and invited her to live with him at his Knightsbridge flat after meeting her in London in 2018.
He said he gave her more than £150,000 for cosmetic surgery including a breast augmentation, lip work and dental implants, as well as jewelry and money for a car.
But he said the relationship soured in late 2019 and she fled back to Italy.
In a statement at a previous hearing, he said: “I quickly realized that this woman was only after the money – although she told me she no longer has sex with clients.
“Shortly after we met, a £45,000 watch went missing and she admitted taking it from me.
“I would pay for anything she wanted but she also got jealous of my wife, I’m allowed to have one wife and take another wife but she wasn’t happy with that.
“I spent thousands on her not to go back into prostitution, but the relationship just degenerated.
“I didn’t attack her with an iron, I was ironing something and she accidentally brushed her arm against it.
“I just went to see her after we finally ended the relationship and I wanted to try and get my money back as well as the Mercedes I bought her.”
Court documents list his UK address as 199 Knightsbridge, one of the most exclusive blocks of flats in London, with houses selling for more than £7million.
His Milan address has been given as Giax Tower, one of Milan’s most luxurious residences, with houses selling for over £1million.
Hussain was also ordered to pay Rania €60,000 in compensation, and her lawyer, Umberto De Gregorio, said: “With this judgment, my client has found some serenity that she lost. Justice was served and the judge believed what happened and it was not the result of her exaggerations or aspirations.”
