Somaiya Begum: Uncle found guilty of murdering Bradford student

A man has been found guilty of murdering 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.

The university student 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, of Thornbury Road, had denied murder but admitted to perverting the course of justice by disposing of his niece's body and trying to burn her mobile phone.

Jurors were shown CCTV footage of Khan dragging Miss Begum's body from his car and dumping it on waste ground "like rubbish". Her body was found 11 days after she went missing.

The decomposition of Miss Begum's 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.

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

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

Khan was found guilty after a trial at Bradford Crown Court and is due to be sentenced tomorrow.

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