Somaiya Begum murder trial: Uncle dumped Bradford student's body 'like rubbish'

A student was murdered and "dumped like rubbish" by her uncle after refusing an arranged marriage, a court has heard.

Somaiya Begum, 20, was found dead and wrapped in a rug on wasteland in Bradford on 6 July last year.

Mohammed Taroos Khan, 53, denies her murder but has pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice by disposing of her body.

Prosecutors told the jury at Bradford Crown Court they may hear the murder of the university student explained in terms of an "inappropriately named honour killing."

But Jason Pitter KC said: "Whatever it was...it was not honourable."

Opening the prosecution, Mr Pitter said a metal spike had been embedded into Miss Begum's chest following a "violent attack" and her body "was dumped and left to rot on wasteland like rubbish so she was not recognised".

Mr Pitter told the court that Miss Begum had been living in Binnie Street with another uncle, Dawood Khan, and her grandmother as part of a Forced Marriage Protection Order.

He said this was court-imposed after her father attempted to arrange a marriage to her cousin in Pakistan "by threat of violence."

Mr Pitter said the prosecution's case was that Khan arrived at Binnie Street on 25 June and interactions were captured on CCTV between Khan and Ms Begum that led to her being killed and taken from the house.

The barrister said the defendant was caught on CCTV pulling up to a gap in a wall on Fitzwilliam Street and dragging a large and apparently heavy item onto the wasteland.

Mr Pitter said: "That obviously, the prosecution say, was Somaiya."

He said the decomposition of her body meant pathologists could not establish the cause of death but there was an 11cm-long metal spike embedded in her chest which had punctured her lung.

In the opening speech for the defence, Mr Zafar Ali told the jury there would be times in the trial "when you feel anger and time when you feel utterly sick."

The barrister said: "Mohammed Taroos Khan accepts that Somaiya Begum, his niece, was murdered but he did not murder her.

"He knew nothing about the death until after Somaiya had been killed."

Mr Ali said his client had been "summoned" to Binnie Street "to dispose of her body".

The trial is expected to last three weeks.

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