Friday, November 01, 2019

Bangladeshi curry house chef, 46, who murdered his daughters, five and six, and his wife after having sex with her one last time because she refused to help him renew his visa

  • Mohammed Abdul Shakur, 46, slaughtered family in 2007 after arguing with wife
  • Juli Begum, 26, Anika, five, and Thanha, six, found dead at home in east London
  • At a sentencing hearing at the Old Bailey today a prosecutor broke down in tears
  • Juror also wiped tears from her eyes during emotional victim impact statement
  • Shakur remanded back in custody after sentencing was adjourned to a later date

  • Mohammed Abdul Shakur, 46, (pictured) killed Juli Begum, 26, along with Anika, five, and Thanha, six, on New Year's Day in 2007. He denied three counts of murder but a jury deliberated for two days to find him guilty of all the charges yesterday. He will be sentenced at a later date
    Mohammed Abdul Shakur, 46, (pictured) killed Juli Begum, 26, along with Anika, five, and Thanha, six, on New Year's Day in 2007. He denied three counts of murder but a jury deliberated for two days to find him guilty of all the charges yesterday. He will be sentenced at a later date
    A Bangladeshi curry house chef facing life in prison can be pictured today, after he was found guilty of brutally murdering his wife and two daughters.   
    Mohammed Abdul Shakur, 46, killed Juli Begum, 26, along with Anika, five, and Thanha, six, after arguing with his wife about his immigration status on New Year's Day in 2007.
    The Bangladeshi illegal immigrant went to his wife's home in East Ham, east London having borrowed £100 from a colleague because Ms Begum had complained about how little money he gave her. 
    He then had sex with his wife one last time before he smothered her with a pillow and strangled Anika with a white sock and fractured Thanha's skull.  
    He fled to Bangladesh within a few days and spent years on the run before he was eventually arrested in India in May 2013 before being extradited to the UK in April this year. 
    Shakur convicted of the three murders on Thursday and is now facing life in prison.
    At a sentencing hearing at the Old Bailey today, a prosecutor broke down in tears as she described how the murder of Ms Begum and her two children had affected the victims' distraught family.  
    Mrs Begum's sister Sheli told in an impact statement read to the court that the family entered a 'dark world' after their deaths and their grandmother was tortured by the sound of them 'calling out.'
    The body of 4ft 8in Ms Begum was discovered beneath a bedcover with Anika (front) laid across her and Thanha (back) nearby at their home in East Ham, east London, on January 10, 2007
    Shakur had sex with his wife (Ms Begum is pictured) one last time before he smothered her with a pillow and strangled Anika with a white sock and fractured Thanha's skull.
    The body of 4ft 8in Ms Begum (right) was discovered beneath a bedcover with Anika (left, front) laid across her and Thanha (left, back) nearby at their home in East Ham, east London, on January 10, 2007
    She told how the girls would 'talk non-stop' and 'play dress-up' before they were murdered.
    As members of the jury burst into tears prosecutor Kerry Broome faltered as she read the statement and a police officer had to take over.
    The sister said Juli Begum was 'a loving and caring person.'
    'Juli was not just my sister. She was also my best friend. We spoke all the time on the phone. She was a person I used to share everything with and I was the same for her,' she said.
    'My nieces were like daughters to me. I feel the pain as much today as if it was yesterday that they died. I feel the loss of the women my nieces never got to become.
    'They used to talk non-stop. Anika used to love to play dress-up. Thanha was always reading a book. You would always find her with a book; she was very bright.
    'It upsets me so much to think about what they might have witnessed.'      
    Sheli also described how their mother, Karful Nessa, 'would cry in the middle of the night' and was so depressed after the tragedy that family members would have to sit with her.
    Ms Begum said: 'She (Ms Nessa) suffered from depression and it affected her health.
    'She used to cry all the time, she told me all the time she couldn't concentrate and couldn't sleep.
    'She said she could hear Thanha and Anika crying out to her.
    'She wanted to live and see justice but she died three years ago. I believe her death was brought about as a result of the stress from their deaths.' 
    Ms Begum added: 'For the first five years I was not able to sleep properly. I was not able to eat. I was living in a dark world.
    'I came out of this and tried to be more like the person I used to be. The trial has taken me back to the dark place. I feel empty.
    I see them in my mind. The only thing I can think of is them, not my husband or my own children.
    'It has destroyed my life - I cannot watch the television or see a film without something triggering back to what happened.
    'It will be with us for the rest of our lives.'
    A juror, one of six to return to court for the sentencing hearing, wiped tears from her eyes as Detective Sergeant Amjad Sharif read the victim impact statement.
    The couple had an arranged marriage in Bangladesh when Ms Begum was 19 but Shakur had repeatedly been violent towards his wife and did not like their children much because they were not boys, the court heard.
    At the hearing on Thursday, it was heard how, on New Year's Day 2007, Shakur killed Ms Begum and daughters Anika and Thanha Khanum, aged five and six.
    Days later, he fled to his home country of Bangladesh to evade justice, the court heard.
    While there, he told his sister-in-law: 'Don't tell the police I murdered your sister. If you tell the police I will murder you and your children.'
    Ms Begum's other sister raised the alarm and police went to the family home in East Ham, east London, on January 10 2007. 
    Shakur worked for £130 a day as a chef at The Ancient Raj (file picture) in Frimley, Surrey
    Shakur worked for £130 a day as a chef at The Ancient Raj (file picture) in Frimley, Surrey
    The body of 4ft 8in Ms Begum was discovered beneath a bedcover with Anika laid across her and Thanha nearby at their home in East Ham, east London, on January 10 2007.
    Anika had been strangled with a white sock after being 'stunned' by a punch or slap to the face.
    Her older sister suffered severe blows to the face that fractured her skull and caused her to bleed out on the carpet within half an hour.
    Their mother was believed to have been smothered with a soft pillow or cushion.
    Officers found little cash in the house and Ms Begum's wedding jewellery was missing.
    Shakur, who had been in debt, was traced on CCTV walking with Ms Begum and his daughters from and to Nelson Street on January 1.
    The court heard that Ms Begum kept 22 carat gold necklaces, earrings and bangles worth £15,000 in her bedroom, along with a gold wedding set which has never been traced. 
    After 12 years on the run, he was extradited from India to face trial for the murders at the Old Bailey.     
    He denied three counts of murder but was convicted. 
    Ms Begum's family said in a statement yesterday: 'Abdul Shakur has destroyed our family.
    'He took away a caring, loving mother and sister Juli and he has taken away the future of two young beautiful girls, Thanha and Anika.
    'We struggle with thoughts of how their lives may have ended and what each of them must have witnessed in their final moments.'
    The statement added: 'We miss them every day and we cannot forgive this senseless loss of life.
    'Shakur's final act of cowardice was fleeing to Bangladesh. This meant justice took so long to be delivered it was something our mother never got to see.'
    Shakur was remanded back into custody after the sentencing was adjourned to a later date today over confusion about how much time he had spent in custody in India. 

    No comments: