A MAN who brutally murdered his wife has been sentenced to a minimum of 23 years in jail in Australia.

Ahmed Seedat, 37, was sentenced yesterday for murdering his wife Fahima Yusuf, 32, who was raised in Astley Bridge.

The pair lived in Carlisle, a Perth suburb, and in August 2018 Seedat bludgeoned and choked his wife.

The court heard how Mrs Yusuf’s murder was part of a plan to start a relationship with her sister, who was unaware of his intentions.

Australian media outlets report that Seedat appeared at Supreme Court of Western Australia today.

The court heard how Mrs Yusuf told her husband she loved him as he beat her with a wheel brace while their two young children were sleeping in a neighbouring room.

It was said that he also choked or suffocated his wife before burying her body in their garden.

Mrs Yusuf and Seedat, who was originally from Durban, South Africa, lived with their two children aged two and five.

The court heard how Seedat, an accountant, had planned the murder beforehand, looking online using search terms such as how to bury a cat, how to bury someone alive and the best way to knock someone out.

Seedat hired a contractor to dig a shallow hole in his garden, purportedly for a swimming pool for his children..

But Mrs Yusuf was found in it, in a shallow grave, just days after her death once Seedat had reported her missing.

He initially claimed she had been acting irrationally and irresponsibly.

Police made the grisly discovery during their investigation after deciding to treat Mrs Yusuf’s disappearance as suspicious.

Officers spent the day at the house and found the body buried just metres from children’s toys, it was reported. Piles of soil were dug up in the grounds of the house as part of the extensive police search.

Seedat was charged with murder in September and pleaded guilty to his crime in January.

At the time of her death a close friend of Mrs Yusuf paid tribute to her saying “she was an amazing girl and I am totally heartbroken”. Another spoke of their devastation adding: “I’m shocked, very shocked.”

Supreme Court Judge Bruno Fiannaca sentenced Seedat to a life term with no chance of parole for at least 23 years.

The accountant is also facing a string of fraud charges.