A man and three members of his family have been jailed for life for murdering his pregnant wife after claiming she was possessed by an 'evil spirit'.
Naila Mumtaz, 21, originally
from Pakistan, died at her home in Handsworth Wood, Birmingham, in July
2009 while six months pregnant.
Her husband TMohammed Tauseef
Mumtaz, 25, had to be carried out of the dock in the city's crown court
today by his father Zia ul-Haq after being jailed for a minimum of 13
years.
Ul-Haq and his wife Salma Aslam, both 51, were jailed for
a minimum of 15 years, while Mumtaz's brother-in-law Hammad Hassan, 24,
received a minimum-term of 13 years.
They were all found guilty of murder after a 12-week trial in July.
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| Jailed: (From left to right) Mohammed Tauseef Mumtaz, Zia Ul-Haq, Salma Aslam and Hammad Hassan (Picture: PA) |
Mumtaz
was found to have smothered his wife and then told police she had tried
to strangle herself after becoming 'possessed' by a 'jinn' spirit.
Wendy
Bounds from West Midlands Crown Prosecution Service's complex casework
unit, said Naila was a 'kind-hearted and beautiful young woman'.
'This
was not an easy case to bring before the court as it involved evidence
from both the UK and Pakistan, and ensuring that the jury understood
that although there were complex cultural beliefs which underpinned the
defence case, there was evidence that the defendants had all given
untruthful accounts as to what had taken place and their roles in the
death of Naila,' she said.
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| Naila Mumtaz was killed in July 2009 (Picture: PA) |
'Sadly, Naila died before the help that is available from the police and the prosecution team was accessed.'
Ms
Bounds added: 'This case demonstrates that it is possible to achieve
justice for girls in Naila's situation who are far away from their
family, unable to speak English and with no one to turn to for help.'
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