Public prosecutors in Germany demanded a life sentence on Monday for a Muslim man who murdered his wife after she converted to Christianity.

If found guilty, the man who like his wife comes from Afghanistan, could face more than 20 years in prison.

Public prosecutor Oliver Moessner said on Monday that the man maliciously stabbed the 38-year-old woman to death in front of their two sons, who were aged five and 11, in April 2017.

Moessner said the murder took place outside a supermarket in the southern town of Prien am Chiemsee and was the equivalent of a public execution.

He said the accused acted out of base motives, killing his wife for her religious affiliation.

The man is believed to have confessed to the murder, but just before the start of the trial he claimed he could no longer remember it.