Somaiya Begum murder: Uncle's life sentence for killing Leeds Beckett student and 'despicable' dumping of body

Repair man Mohammed Taroos Khan killed Leeds student Somaiya Begum, 20, in an attack at her home in Binnie Street, Bradford, on June 25 last year. He then dumped her body on waste ground, where it was found decomposed 11 days later.

Miss Begum had been living at the property with another of her uncles and her grandmother under the terms of a forced marriage protection order, following attempts by her father, Mohammed Yaseen Khan, to force her to marry a cousin from Pakistan “by threat of violence”, a jury heard.

Sentencing 53-year-old Khan to life in prison at Bradford Crown Court on Wednesday, Mr Justice Garnham said: “It is not possible to identify a motive for this dreadful attack by you on an innocent young woman. It is pure speculation to consider whether this murder was part of some appalling family agreement.

“All that matters for present purposes is that the jury have found you guilty of the heinous crime of murder. I decline to speculate on your motive and I reject the prosecution’s suggestion that I should treat this as any form of so-called honour killing.”

Khan was found guilty of murder on Tuesday. The defendant sat in the glass-fronted dock wearing a grey fleece and a black body-warmer and flanked by two security officers as the judge outlined the callousness with which he disposed of his niece’s body.

Mr Justice Garnham told him: “You showed absolutely no respect for the dead body of your niece. Inevitably the loss of this bright, vibrant young woman is felt acutely by other members of her family.”

The judge described Miss Begum as “an intelligent young woman of real spirit and courage” and recalled that another uncle, Dawood Khan, had referred to her in court as the “light of his life”.

The trial was told Miss Begum’s body, when found, had a metal spike embedded in its back.

Khan admitted perverting the course of justice by disposing of the body and attempting to burn Miss Begum’s phone. He declined to give evidence in his defence during the trial but his barrister told the court that his brother – Miss Begum’s father, Yaseen Khan – had a clearer motive for murder and had subsequently fled to Pakistan using a one-way ticket.

The court heard that Miss Begum had been studying at Leeds Beckett University and supporting herself with a job as a carer.