Somaiya Begum murder: Uncle jailed for life after murdering Bradford student
A man has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his 20-year-old niece after she refused a forced marriage.
Mohammed Taroos Khan, 53, killed Somaiya Begum before dumping her body on wasteland in Bradford. Her body was found wrapped in a rug on 6 July last year - 11 days after she went missing.
Khan, of Thornbury Road, was today sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 25 years.
He had previously denied murder but admitted to perverting the course of justice by disposing of his niece's body and trying to burn her mobile phone. He was found guilty of both charges after a trial at Bradford Crown Court on Tuesday, 14 March.
The court heard the Leeds Beckett University student had been stabbed in the back with a metal spike while in her own home. She also had injuries to her neck and throat.
Miss Begum had been living in Binnie Street with another uncle, Dawood Khan, and her grandmother as part of a Forced Marriage Protection Order. It was court-imposed after her father attempted to force a marriage to her cousin in Pakistan "by threat of violence."
Khan was seen visiting the house several times on the afternoon and evening of 25 June. The judge said that Khan killed Miss Begum, before transporting her body in his car and storing it in a shipping container overnight.
The decomposition of Miss Begum's body meant pathologists could not establish the exact cause of death, but the 11cm-long metal spike was embedded in her chest and had punctured her lung.
In his sentencing remarks, the Honourable Justice Neil Garnham said Khan's previous conviction and the restraining order he was subjected to at the time were aggravating features. This included threatening his daughter with a knife in June 2016.
The judge added that he "rejects the suggestion that this was an honour killing".
In sentencing, he described Miss Begum as "an intelligent young woman of real spirit and courage".
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