Life sentence for Wigan borough man who murdered his daughter-in-law

Mashal Ilyas, 24, was killed by Nadeem Begum just six months after arriving in the UK following wedding arrangements made by their families.

Her mother said she had “her whole life in front of her” in a moving tribute as her killer was given a life sentence, with a minimum term of 18 years.

Begum, 53, told police he was asleep before finding Mashal unconscious at the bottom of the stairs at the family home on Oxford Road, Atherton.

But the jury at Manchester Crown Court saw through his lies, convicting him of murder.

Greater Manchester Police’s major incident team began an investigation after officers responded to reports of a concern for the welfare of a woman at 11.40am on October 9.

They found Mashal collapsed and, despite the best efforts of emergency services, she was pronounced dead shortly afterwards.

Inquiries revealed Mashal phoned her mother in Pakistan at 10.13am, but after a few minutes she went downstairs to put the washing out.

Initially, Begum told officers he got up to go to the toilet and found Mashal at the bottom of the stairs. He suggested she fell while he was sleeping.

But the police investigation revealed his phone was active for most of the morning.

A Home Office post-mortem examination found Mashal had a number of injuries, including bruising to her neck, that were not consistent with a fall. Her cause of death was given as asphyxiation.

CCTV footage showed all family members apart from Mashal and Begum left the house shortly after 10am.

No-one else entered until Begum’s eldest son returned at around 11.30am and called the emergency services.

Forensic examination of Mashal’s trousers identified two spots of Begum’s blood and his DNA was recovered from under her fingernails.

The court heard there were tensions in the family, particularly between Mashal and Begum and his views on her role within the household, which could have been the reason for the attack.

Senior investigating officer Duncan Thorpe said: “Firstly, our thoughts as an investigation team are still with Mashal’s loved ones at what is a very emotional and difficult time for them.

“Since we became aware of the incident, we explored all available lines of investigation to get to the truth – that Nadeem Begum had attacked and strangled Mashal.

“This was a brutal and unprovoked attack on a young woman who had come to the UK to start a new life.

“Begum now has to face the consequences; we are pleased we have been able to bring justice and some form of closure for the family.”

Mashal's mother Rehana said: "She was kind to herself and others. She was happy and loved within the family.

"She was everything for me. She was my friend. She used to share everything with me.

"She is remembered by everyone in the family. She was so polite and caring.

"She was clever. She was very good academically. She was always top in her class at the school. Her teachers still remember her.

"As I sit and think about Mashal, I wonder how she would have grown as a woman and a mother and who she would have become, the children she would have had, the memories she would have made, the challenges she would have overcome and the joy and happiness that would have filled her life.

"But I will never have that chance to see this because Nadeem Begum took that away from her in one senseless moment."