He cared for him as a child and was his family's doctor for 13 years.
On Friday, Khalid Qidwai watched as former patient Tony Halloun was sentenced to at least 17 years in prison for murdering his wife during a desperate bid to steal money from the doctor's waterfront Sydney mansion.
Shahnaz Qidwai's battered and bruised body was discovered on her bedroom floor by her youngest daughter Maha on June 15, 2012.
Halloun, who was working as a concreter at the Henley property, was found guilty of her murder earlier this year after a jury took just two hours to deliberate.
The tradesman sat expressionless in the dock on Friday as Justice Lucy McCallum described how a man of once good character had come to murder the vulnerable, older woman.
While no one could know for sure what happened, she was satisfied the financially stressed 35-year-old had begun rummaging through the envelopes of money he knew were kept by Mrs Qidwai in the home.
It was likely Mrs Qidwai happened upon him and he attacked her out of panic.
"I doubt he intended to kill Mrs Qidwai," Justice McCallum said.
Justice McCallum described how Halloun had since spun many lies in a pointless bid to cover up his offending.
In one bizarre concoction, Halloun claimed he had been forced by three masked gunmen to grab Mrs Qidwai.
"His apparent inability to accept responsibility for (the murder) in the face of an overwhelming circumstantial case may come down to a question of pride or an inability to say out loud that he did such a terrible thing," Justice McCallum said.
Mrs Qidwai's daughter Maha cried as her awful fate of discovering her mother's body was recounted.
"That grim experience has cast a haunting veil over her memories of her mother," Justice McCallum said.
"The criminal justice system does not pretend to the heal the hurt of such loss."
Outside court, Dr Qidwai described his wife as his soulmate, but also said his thoughts were with the Halloun family.
"Both myself and my wife looked after them as patients for 13 years," he said.
"Nevertheless our compassion still extends towards (them). I hope you can find peace in this tragic situation."
Halloun will be eligible for parole in August 2029.
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