00:00:04
[music playing] NARRATOR: An arranged marriage,
a troubled relationship, and the bizarre entry
into the couple's
00:00:12
timeline of a rap group
with delusions of grandeur. She clearly found
friendship amongst this group
00:00:19
of men who were themselves
somewhat deluded in thinking that they
were much more violent
00:00:25
than they actually were. They all went out
drinking together, became friends together.
00:00:30
And I think they all fancied
themselves as, listen, you want to kill him? We can sort that if you like.
00:00:36
There's a big difference with
the American gang culture and the British rap gang culture.
00:00:40
Acting as if they were
something from Los Angeles and Compton and all that sort
of business when, in fact,
00:00:45
they're from Rotherham. NARRATOR: What parts did
the South Yorkshire group play in events which
culminated in takeaway chef
00:00:51
Nawajid Khan fighting for his
life, after being hit by a 4 by 4 car? This wasn't a fatal
road traffic accident.
00:01:00
This was certainly
something far more sinister. It really makes
my stomach turn to think that someone
could have done
00:01:06
this to any other human being. NARRATOR: Also, there,
the night of a murder masquerading as an accident,
the wife of Nawajid Khan, Faria.
00:01:14
Khan is definitely
not an innocent in this. She is not a battered
woman just responding
00:01:25
to save her own life. NARRATOR: Investigators
would soon have to unravel the
lies and loves of two
00:01:32
people born on
different continents and hailing from
different worlds. [theme music]
00:02:06
Nawajid and Faria Khan
married by family arrangement in Pakistan 1999. Faria had been living the
teenage life of a girl
00:02:15
from her native Sheffield
in South Yorkshire, England. At 19, to have a marriage
arranged for you, and then
00:02:23
to travel over to Pakistan
to meet your husband for the first time
on your wedding day,
00:02:29
that's a huge culture shock. TONY KENT: Well, this
girl from South Yorkshire was taken from one
environment, one culture,
00:02:37
and put into a completely
different culture and one which, unlike the
United Kingdom,
00:02:42
is not overly
accepting of people who deviate from that culture. The odds are
really against her.
00:02:48
This is a girl who's
grown up in the UK. She's seen the way that
people have choices.
00:02:53
The idea of being
put in a position without power, that's
automatically going to cause her deep distress.
00:03:00
She was clearly
not prepared for it. And nor was she
prepared to accept it. NARRATOR: Detectives
accept that her husband,
00:03:07
Nawajid, would have struggled
from the culture clash, too. This was a fairly quiet guy.
00:03:11
She was very westernized
and clearly must have clashed because,
you know, she was totally
00:03:17
different to his
culture, and his culture was totally different
to her culture, really.
00:03:20
FAEEZA VAID MBE: Each spouse
comes from a different country, from a different culture.
00:03:25
There will be things that
arise which may cause problems within the marriage. NARRATOR: In 2000, just
months after their marriage,
00:03:32
the couple moved to England. Luckily, for Faria,
she didn't have to stay in Pakistan for very long.
00:03:37
STEVE WHITTAKER: He came over
from a rural part of Pakistan. And he was thrust into
this western world,
00:03:42
really, with a really
westernized wife. And I think the two just clearly
never got on from day one.
00:03:48
Of the two, it was Faria
who got to come back and live in the environment, in the
culture that she was happier
00:03:55
with, more comfortable with. He actually left his culture. He left it-- all he
knew was Pakistan.
00:04:00
NARRATOR: There
were implications for the marriage because of the
couple's cultural differences.
00:04:05
While she had been willing
to wear the burqa in Pakistan in the traditional
way many women do,
00:04:10
Faria now refused to do
the same in Sheffield. In Pakistan, it makes
sense to some degree,
00:04:17
because she might have had
some issues being a westerner and not wearing that. It might have been seen as a
cultural slur, to some degree,
00:04:24
and invited problems for her. When she comes back
to the UK, he demands that she wears one again.
00:04:30
And she doesn't want to. She wanted more of
a western lifestyle. She didn't want to be caught
in the usual constraints
00:04:38
of a traditional marriage. She didn't want to wear a burqa. She wanted a bit more freedom.
00:04:47
NARRATOR: Nawajid would have
been surprised at his wife's cultural tastes, which
included liking the little
00:04:52
known Dem Boyz rappers group. There was something
Faria said she objected to about his behavior.
00:04:59
She claimed that Nawajid
insisted she conform to his values, even in England. She was required to
wear full Islamic dress.
00:05:09
We are told by
her that he became extremely Islamically
fundamental, in the sense
00:05:17
that she had to wear a burqa. She could not mix
with her own family. She had to obey what
her husband said.
00:05:24
NAZIR AFZAL: Most, the vast
majority of Muslim women would wear a hijab, which
means covering your hair.
00:05:30
And a lot-- many, many thousands
now would not wear either. So, you know, it's a
very diverse faith.
00:05:39
And people wear what
they want to wear. There's no strict rule anymore. People do what they
feel comfortable.
00:05:45
NARRATOR: But was it true that
Faria was ordered by Nawajid to wear full Islamic dress?
00:05:50
We have to say that there's a
possibility that that's right. What would be wrong would be to
just accept that on face value.
00:05:56
I think it's clear that Khan
was a really complex person and had dealt with a
whole range of issues.
00:06:04
I don't think Khan
was the innocent that she would have us believe. It may well be that we
can call her an unreliable
00:06:12
narrator, can't we? NARRATOR: One day it
would be the job of a jury to distinguish what
is true and not true
00:06:20
about the life Faria
Khan said she led and the nature of
the relationship with her husband, Nawajid.
00:06:26
She always claimed to have
been tightly controlled by a traditionalist Muslim. But investigators
did not recognize
00:06:33
that description of Nawajid. Everyone we spoke to,
probably from where he worked
00:06:39
or anybody that
really knew him, he didn't really know many people. He was a bit a
quiet guy, really.
00:06:43
He came over from a
rural part of Pakistan. And he was sort of thrust
into this western world,
00:06:49
really, with a really
westernized wife. And I think the two just clearly
never got on from day one.
00:06:55
This was a very quiet guy. She was very westernized. And they clearly must have
clashed because, you know,
00:07:02
she was totally
different to his culture, and his culture was totally
different to her cultural,
00:07:05
really. NARRATOR: Faria claims Nawajid
would enforce his strict views with violence if necessary.
00:07:10
Faria tells people that
she is beaten by Nawajid, and she's beaten
from the early days.
00:07:16
NARRATOR: Detectives
investigating events couldn't find evidence
that she'd been beaten.
00:07:20
But they did hear how
Faria felt unhappy. She didn't like the
normal things that she--
00:07:25
I think she was expected to
like or maybe what her husband may have wanted her to like.
00:07:30
Khan was unhappy. And maybe Nawajid was quite
a traditional husband. And Khan was used to
a bit more freedom.
00:07:42
Did they have an
ideal relationship? Possibly not, no. The cynic in me
thinks, did she make
00:07:48
things up to make it worse? I think she did. NARRATOR: The couple lived on
the south side of Sheffield.
00:07:54
STEVE WHITTAKER: And they
lived in an area of Sheffield called Donald, a
suburb of Sheffield,
00:07:57
and a bit of a chaotic
lifestyle, really. They have chaotic house, lots
of clutter within the house.
00:08:04
NARRATOR: Nawajid became
a chef at the Mangla Restaurant, Spital Hill. And he was working every
hour that was available--
00:08:11
that work was available. He came across as a-- you
know, I think everyone we spoke
00:08:15
to said he was a nice guy. He was a guy that
worked in a restaurant to try and make ends meet.
00:08:20
He was a worker and I think
all-around nice chap, really. NARRATOR: Over the
next few years,
00:08:25
the couple had two children. Nawajid moved to Milan's
Takeaway in Chesterfield Road,
00:08:30
Heeley. But behind closed
doors, all was not well. What Faria tells us is
that as well as doing that,
00:08:38
he became a monster. Effectively, she
claims that he was making her live a Pakistani
life in South Yorkshire.
00:08:46
NARRATOR: By 2007,
the clash of cultures was forcing a crisis
in their marriage.
00:08:50
She was very westernized,
into sort of rock bands. And she had got different
friends, again, were
00:08:55
all westernized people her age. When you add cultural
stereotypes and societal stereotypes of what women
should be in these roles,
00:09:04
that creates a really
unhealthy relationship. NARRATOR: Faria claims that
Nawajid's attacks on her
00:09:10
included one in which he
threw a brick at her head and another in which he punched
her while she was pregnant.
00:09:16
Khan says of her marriage
that Nawajid was quite violent, controlling, abusive. And it's more than
possible that she was
00:09:32
telling the truth about that. NARRATOR: There are those who
believed the Khans' marriage
00:09:36
was not necessarily as Faria
painted it, including Sheffield detective, Steve Whittaker.
00:09:42
Actually, Nawajid was
coming to work, complaining of being assaulted by her. He was coming to
work with injuries.
00:09:46
He was coming to
work with black eyes. He was coming to work with
scratches on his face.
00:09:49
And he was saying it was
her that was attacking him. EMMA KENNY: When people
were asked about Nawajid,
00:09:54
you know, most people said
that he was a really great guy. He was somebody who
worked very hard.
00:09:59
He was very kind. He was one of those people that
was a pleasure to have around.
00:10:02
He never really
put a foot wrong. And it was her
that was the abuser. And it was her that
was causing problems.
00:10:08
NARRATOR: Faria Khan
had woven a tale about her violent,
abusive husband. There was no evidence
to support the claims.
00:10:15
I would describe her as
not a nice person, really. The interviews that we had with
her and throughout the court
00:10:19
process, she wasn't
a nice individual, sort of a manipulative
person, really. That was my thought
throughout, really.
00:10:26
Khan is definitely
not an innocent in this. She is not a battered
woman just responding
00:10:37
to save her own life. NARRATOR: Arranged
by their families, there were some very
inconvenient truths
00:10:42
about the marriage
of Mr. and Mrs. Khan. This was a kind, nice guy. This was a really nice guy
who, unfortunately, you know,
00:10:52
married the devil. NARRATOR: In 2007,
Faria Khan told friends that she was being
subjected to coercive
00:11:05
control, forced
to wear something she felt alien to her. She didn't want
to wear a burka.
00:11:12
She wanted a bit more freedom. NARRATOR: She claimed
she was being subjected to violence at Nawajid's hands.
00:11:19
It obviously got to the stage
where she was very unhappy and may have been being
assaulted because she
00:11:26
went and got a restraining
order against him, and it was awarded. She was given a
restraining order.
00:11:32
NARRATOR: Nawajid
denied the allegations. It's really difficult
for us to speculate what
00:11:37
exactly was going
on in this marriage in terms of domestic abuse. NARRATOR: Facts were
hard to come by,
00:11:44
but a court backed Faria. I think she got a fraught
relationship with Nawajid. And yeah, that could've
manifested itself
00:11:51
into a non-molestation order. I accept that. A non-molestation order being
taken out is not something
00:11:57
that someone would do lightly. NARRATOR: The order meant
that Nawajid had to move
00:12:01
out of the family house. Nawajid and Khan are
both complex characters. I don't think that they
are one-dimensional.
00:12:09
I don't think he was
one-dimensionally bad. And I don't think she was
one-dimensionally bad.
00:12:15
I think it was a bad
pairing, that they didn't get on together. Perhaps he was violent.
00:12:22
She certainly got that
restraining order against him. But I don't think it was a
case of one's really good
00:12:30
and one's really bad. This is a complex situation. NARRATOR: Faria
claimed that knowledged
00:12:35
intended to burn
down their house where she now lived without him. But investigators later found no
evidence of the abuse that she
00:12:42
claimed, physical or verbal. She lied about much, though. You didn't really know what
was the truth and what wasn't.
00:12:49
NARRATOR: Either way, nine
years after they married, Faria wanted out. By 2008, Faria has decided
that this marriage has to end.
00:12:58
NARRATOR: In January that
year, Faria files for divorce. But even a legal separation
seemed not enough for her.
00:13:04
She tries to find a
less legitimate way out of the marriage. NARRATOR: Less than two
weeks after submitting
00:13:10
divorce papers, Faria
confided in a teenage friend. STEVE WHITTAKER:
She'd met a girl
00:13:14
called Kauser, Neelam Kauser. She was a bit of a nobody
who fancied herself as somebody with
gangster friends
00:13:23
and Khan was a friend of hers. NARRATOR: Faria told the
18-year-old that she was
00:13:26
the victim of domestic abuse. This conversation
grew and quite quickly became quite dangerous.
00:13:35
As she's becoming
more and more desperate, she ends up speaking
to a friend of hers
00:13:39
and tells her that the domestic
abuse has been happening, that she's scared
and the fact that she
00:13:43
can't help but wish that he
wasn't in her life anymore. This was her being
manipulative again and continue
00:13:50
to be manipulative. NARRATOR: Faria Khan was laying
the groundwork for something
00:13:54
more permanent than divorce. Khan starts to plan that
she's going to kill Nawajid.
00:14:03
And she's going to
kill with the help of this friend and her friends. (SINGING) It's like
fire burning up.
00:14:14
NARRATOR: Kauser
soon introduced Faria to her boyfriend, Brian Yorachi,
a member of a rap group.
00:14:19
STEVE WHITTAKER: And these all
thought they were something they really weren't, really.
00:14:23
These were people who went
out partying and drinking, a band called Dem Boyz. This group of young
men seemed to live
00:14:33
in a bit of a fantasy land. They were quite popular
at the time on YouTube and on Myspace and those things.
00:14:39
But they never achieved any real
notoriety outside of this case. It was quite laughable,
really, of the way
00:14:48
that they were. There's a big difference with
the American gang culture and the British rap gang culture.
00:14:54
Acting as if they were
something from Los Angeles and Compton and all that sort
of business when, in fact,
00:14:59
they're from Rotherham. American gang culture has
firearms and access to firearms
00:15:04
and is well known for
using firearms regularly and for hurting
and harming people.
00:15:10
British gang culture
is not the same thing. NARRATOR: Despite the Dem Boyz
delusions of violent grandeur,
00:15:16
Neelam Kauser, Faria
Khan's new friend, suggested the
rappers could help. I think they all fancied
themselves as, listen,
00:15:23
we can sort that
fear, almost, like, a childlike response
to some of these, look, I'm in a
loveless marriage.
00:15:30
Well, if you want
him dead, we can sort it because we're the rap band. NARRATOR: Faria met
the gang in Rotherham,
00:15:34
and a plot was hatched. When Khan and her
friends get together, and they start talking about
what ostensibly was probably
00:15:43
about freeing Khan from
this terrible situation that she was in with Nawajid,
it escalated a bit too quickly.
00:15:52
She clearly found friendship
amongst this group of men, who are themselves somewhat
deluded in thinking
00:16:01
that they were a
lot more violent than they actually were. Khan might have exaggerated
her living conditions,
00:16:08
the way her marriage
was, and the things that were going on, to gain
that sympathy and that buy-in.
00:16:17
So for these
young men, they may well have considered themselves
knights in shining armor.
00:16:22
She clearly built a built
a strong enough relationship with these men to be able
to, in her view, trust them.
00:16:27
NARRATOR: Faria offered
to pay them for services she wanted them to render-- kill Nawajid.
00:16:32
A ridiculously
small sum of money. I mean, I've dealt
with hit men who've been paid tens of thousands of
pounds to carry out the act.
00:16:38
These guys were happy to
do it for 200 quid, which tells you that they were perhaps
doing it for their own esteem.
00:16:44
That this-- if they
were involved in this, somehow they would
feel stronger, and perhaps their view--
00:16:50
people's view of
them would change. And they would be seen as
people to be scared of.
00:16:55
Unfortunately,
for these poor boys, they seem like they think
they're going to fail.
00:16:59
They seem to think that
they are the heroes in their own TV show. NARRATOR: Why would Faria Khan
not simply wait for divorce?
00:17:05
The question has to
be asked, isn't it, why would somebody
go to those extremes?
00:17:09
Why would she not
just leave him? NARRATOR: Was she
concerned about how a failed marriage would look?
00:17:13
Yes, there's
stigma in communities and in society around divorce. However, an Islamic
marriage allows
00:17:21
you to get divorced from your
husband, as does the UK law. And so, divorce was
certainly an option for her,
00:17:28
which would have given
her that final separation from her former partner. NARRATOR: But Faria wanted
more than separation.
00:17:35
Faria arranged to have
their home transferred into her brother's name. NARRATOR: Lawyer and crime
writer Tony Kent believes
00:17:43
he understands Faria's actions. Under Islamic law,
it's not cut and dry that a widow inherits everything
that her late husband leaves
00:17:53
to her. However, if the property is
transferred into another man's name, and then that man
has to transfer it back
00:17:59
after the death of the
husband, well, of course, then she will get it all. She clearly felt
that she needed
00:18:04
or deserved more than she
would get if she was divorced. And so it was the money
issue that drove her.
00:18:12
NARRATOR: Next, Faria
went to some lengths to keep her identity secret as
she bought the murder weapon--
00:18:18
a car. The car used was
a white Frontera that had been actually purchased
to being bought a few days
00:18:25
before by Khan and her sister. And they bought it in
a false name with cash. It was a big, big car,
certainly not the car you'd
00:18:35
expect a car to be driving. Quite an
intimidating-looking car. She's a dangerous woman.
00:18:42
She took way too
many steps that would be just impossible for
a normal person to take.
00:18:50
Why would you buy
a car like this? This is not a car that you
buy to pop to local shops.
00:18:56
And this was a big car. And with all due respect,
she was quite a small lady. That vehicle was
bought for one purpose.
00:19:02
It was bought with the
intention to kill her husband. NARRATOR: With a
4 by 4 big enough
00:19:07
to accommodate the
whole rap group, Faria took Dem Boyz on
a reconnaissance trip
00:19:11
to rehearse the
murder of her husband. It's their belief that
she is the woman she
00:19:15
is portraying herself to be. She is the victim of
this monstrous husband. And they are coming
to her rescue.
00:19:22
We didn't leave any stone
unturned at that time. So, you know, I think they got
a sense of arrogance they were
00:19:26
just going to get away with it. NARRATOR: Nawajid Khan was
a marked man with a contract
00:19:31
out on his life, a
contract taken by his wife. Her intention
was at some stage to drag him off the street with
the help of Dem Boyz, the band.
00:19:40
And they were going
to kill him, strangle him, suffocate him, stab him. NARRATOR: Around 5:00 PM
on Sunday, January 27,
00:19:48
Nawajid Khan was walking
to work with a colleague. It was just getting dark. And he's walking to her
to open up the restaurant,
00:19:55
what they did most evenings. NARRATOR: The streets
were busier than usual for a winter's evening.
00:19:59
There was a football game. It was extra special
busy because on that day, Sheffield United were
playing Manchester City
00:20:06
in a FA Cup fifth
round match that was being broadcast live on TV. So it was really, really
busy with football fans,
00:20:13
two big clubs, 30,000
fans, stadium full. NARRATOR: Out of
nowhere, the gang struck.
00:20:19
He is set upon by two
members of the rap group. And the rappers really felt
like they were being heroes,
00:20:27
rescuing Khan from this
terrible situation. And I think that's
what got them involved.
00:20:33
They got the rough guys
to do this, the band. They're armed with
bats and an axe.
00:20:40
They attack him,
and he fights back. He's no shrinking violet. He's not just a victim.
00:20:44
He fights back. So does his friend. NARRATOR: As the two
colleagues defended themselves
00:20:48
against the horrific attack,
a white Vauxhall Frontera pulled up. Out jumped two more
members of the rap group.
00:20:55
At this stage, it's four on two. And the four men are armed. NARRATOR: As well as
the bats and axes,
00:21:01
the rappers were armed
with hammers and knives to attack Faria Khan's husband. This is a really
brutal, gruesome attack.
00:21:09
Nawajid tries his
best to defend himself, but he's beaten, and he
is forced into the road.
00:21:14
NARRATOR: Bloodied and
beaten, Nawajid Khan had one final horror to overcome. He looked up to see the face of
the driver of a large vehicle--
00:21:23
his wife and the mother
of his two children. Little did he
know that that was going to be the last
movements he would ever make.
00:21:39
NARRATOR: Even with four young
men brutally attacking him, Nawajid managed to break free.
00:21:44
They weren't as good as they
said they were, which is why they couldn't finish the job.
00:21:49
NARRATOR: A job
ordered by Faria Khan. STEVE WHITTAKER: She was
director of operations,
00:21:53
and she took it on herself,
actually, have messed up. I've employed the worst
killers in the world.
00:22:00
You pay him when [inaudible]
at 50 pound each. They hurt him,
but didn't kill him.
00:22:07
And she decided
to finish the job. They either lost
their bottle at the end or they realized, actually,
we're in too deep.
00:22:12
NARRATOR: The 4 by 4
appeared again at high speed. Faria has been sitting
in the white Frontera.
00:22:17
One witness said she
heard the rev of an engine that she'd never heard
before, again, that sent,
00:22:23
like, a shiver down your spine. This car had really revved and
really, really driven at it,
00:22:29
at some speed. She watches her husband fall
into the road in front of her. As he's getting to his
feet, she runs him down.
00:22:38
There's no doubt that
the killing of Nawajid was horrific. NARRATOR: Witnesses
described how the 4 by 4
00:22:45
mounted the pavement
before mowing Nawajid down. The big soccer
match in Sheffield
00:22:50
that night proved extremely
helpful to detectives. They did it in front of
quite a lot of fans, who
00:22:56
were decent people,
who were driving, who were driving or passengers
in cars, going to football,
00:22:59
or walking by, and were more
than happy to assist the police and assist the investigation.
00:23:05
If I remember, 30, 40
witnesses came forward. She revved the car. And then the car seemed to
go up like that where it
00:23:13
goes up in the air and lunges. She then stops the
car, puts it in reverse, and reverses over her husband.
00:23:21
Faria actually runs him over
and then reverses over him. As she does so,
she's described
00:23:27
as being a woman
possessed, and she's described even worse
as chuckling, laughing
00:23:32
to herself as she reverses. She was enjoying it. It makes my stomach turn to
think about the way she went
00:23:40
about putting things
into action to ensure that this man was killed. Unfortunately, for Nawajid,
he was laid in the front
00:23:50
[inaudible] of that car. NARRATOR: Nawajid Khan's body
was crushed under the wheels
00:23:54
of the vehicle. They said mounted a pavement,
and it had gone quite fast and hit Nawajid.
00:24:01
And Nawajid was killed
unfortunately not instantly, but he was eventually killed
by the front wheels of the car
00:24:09
actually on top of him. She made sure not only that
he died because running him over
00:24:19
with that car would
have sealed his fate, but that she had a part
in sealing that fate.
00:24:24
NARRATOR: An arranged
marriage which began with the hopes
of two families had ended in a violent death.
00:24:30
Later, investigations
did suggest that Nawajid had been, at least,
in part, a victim
00:24:35
throughout the relationship. I think men are more afraid
of coming forward when they are
00:24:41
the victims of
abuse because there is a stereotype that this
is only something that
00:24:45
happens to women. Unfortunately, that's
not the reality. Men can also be victims of
abuse, and in this case, sadly,
00:24:53
victims of murder. NARRATOR: The driver,
described by witnesses as a short Muslim woman,
ran off into the crowd.
00:25:00
What was caught
on CCTV was people running away from the scene. And we got some grainy footage
from a store that was open.
00:25:09
We got somebody fitting vaguely
the description of Faria Khan seemed to be running away.
00:25:14
NARRATOR: Khan didn't just
try to escape on foot. I think to cover her
tracks, she got a taxi away
00:25:20
from a scene, then went shopping
to the big shopping complex called Meadowhall
near to Sheffield.
00:25:27
She thought that the
police would probably think this was just a street
fight that her husband had
00:25:33
got involved in. NARRATOR: In fact, the
police didn't believe this was a random street
fight, nor that Nawajid Khan
00:25:39
was the victim of a
tragic road accident. This wasn't somebody
crossing the road
00:25:43
and just, unfortunately,
knocked over. This was sinister,
to say the least. NARRATOR: Within
hours, a major crime
00:25:50
investigation was underway. I got a phone call
on a Sunday evening to tell me that I'll be
going to work on a Monday.
00:25:57
I was a detective
sergeant at the time on the murder investigation
team within South Yorkshire.
00:26:01
And they said that there had
been a road traffic accident. Initially, it was reported
as a road traffic accident,
00:26:08
but it looked more
sinister than that. NARRATOR: Despite
Faria's attempts to disguise the
purchase of the 4 by 4,
00:26:13
detectives had little
trouble tracing the two women who'd bought it. We actually found
out it was them.
00:26:17
We found out it was
their phones used. And they got select
picked out on what we call an identification
parade by the owner of that car.
00:26:24
Inevitably, given the inept
way this was carried out, Faria Khan was
arrested very quickly.
00:26:29
NARRATOR: Police
had to establish that Faria was in
the driving seat when the car smashed
into her husband.
00:26:34
We had to prove quite a lot. We had quite a few officers,
probably that time, probably 20 or so officers.
00:26:40
NARRATOR: The detectives would
learn that Faria Khan had successfully applied
for a restraining
00:26:44
order against her husband, that
she had complained of suffering violence at his hands, of
being forced to conform
00:26:50
to values she did not hold. The apparent murder
of Nawajid Khan would prove to be far
from a simple case.
00:26:57
Under interrogation, Faria
was initially calm, reserved. She had no comment at all
throughout all the interviews,
00:27:04
and then suddenly at the
end, started to speak. And she proceeded to tell
the police a tissue of lies.
00:27:09
So the overwhelming
evidence that we've built up over a few days
against her, you know,
00:27:13
she'd only got one way
out, really, which was, I'm a victim here. I'm a victim of domestic abuse.
00:27:19
NARRATOR: Faria Khan admitted
meeting the rape gang. Yeah, I spoke to people. Yeah, I don't like him.
00:27:25
Yes, I may have wanted him dead. But that was just talk. And I wasn't even there.
00:27:29
NARRATOR: Her story
was that she had driven the 4 by 4 to the
location, but then walked away.
00:27:34
And she denied being there. She claimed that, in fact,
a member of the rap crew was driving the car.
00:27:41
How she could know
that, one wonders. It wasn't until we got
to trial later on that she
00:27:44
did change her defense further. NARRATOR: Unfortunately,
for Faria Khan, she wasn't the only person
being quizzed by detectives.
00:27:51
We had a big arrest
day, where myself and another colleague of
mine interviewed quite a few
00:27:56
of the individuals that day. NARRATOR: And among
the interviewees, the original go-between who had
introduced Faria to the gang.
00:28:03
Neelam Kauser was-- she was quite forthcoming
about [inaudible] forthcoming. This was a girl.
00:28:08
She was 17 years of age. She'd never been in trouble
with the police before. And she told us who
was in the car--
00:28:13
a little naivety on her part. She told who was in the car. She had told us what people
were doing in that car.
00:28:19
So they were charged
quite quickly. NARRATOR: The trial of
Faria Khan and members
00:28:22
of the rap group
began at Sheffield Crown Court in October 2008. When presented with the
overwhelming amount of evidence
00:28:30
and evidence of co-accused,
she had no option but to change her tune at court really.
00:28:37
NARRATOR: Faria's
new line of defense sounded familiar to the
officers who had quizzed
00:28:41
her during the investigation. Khan claimed to
everyone that she was the victim of some awful,
terrible control, violence,
00:28:53
and abuse. Whether that's true or not,
well, that's questionable, isn't it? Because we only have
her word for it.
00:28:58
She played the victim card. And I was convinced as can
be as an officer of 32 years,
00:29:03
that, you know, she
wasn't a victim. The only victim in this,
unfortunately, is Nawajid.
00:29:08
She may have been subjected
to domestic violence and coercive control. But she went further than merely
trying to protect herself.
00:29:22
NARRATOR: Neelam Kauser's
boyfriend, Brian Yorachi, told the trial that he'd
felt sorry for Faria
00:29:27
after her tales
of domestic abuse. Crucially, Yorachi also
stated unequivocally that Faria Khan had been driving
when the car hit Nawajid.
00:29:36
I mean, quite clearly,
it was Faria Khan who was driving the car at the time. She was the one who
drove over her husband.
00:29:46
It wasn't the rap band. NARRATOR: The prosecution
argued that Faria masterminded
00:29:50
the whole thing and stepped
in after the band couldn't go through with the killing.
00:29:54
And they realized
flipping out, we're making a big mistake here. I still don't know that,
really, to be fair.
00:29:59
And she was the one who,
like, leave it to me, boys, and I'll do it. NARRATOR: There is a defense
that partners can use when one
00:30:06
has killed the other,
the so-called slow burn mitigation, which reduces a
murder charge to manslaughter.
00:30:13
If one of the partners has
suffered years of abuse and suddenly snaps, they can
argue a sort of self-defense.
00:30:19
This applies mainly
to domestic abuse. So a victim who's absolutely
terrified of their attacker
00:30:27
and dare not try and defend
themselves at the time can have this slow burn where
they get more and more and more
00:30:35
frightened and feel they've
got to do something about it to protect themselves. NARRATOR: With the defense of
self-protection on the table,
00:30:42
detectives still have
to prove that Faria Khan was guilty of
murdering her husband.
00:30:47
For this guy to
receive the injuries he got, the way that Nawajid
died was quite clearly--
00:30:53
it was a murder. NARRATOR: But would a jury
agree who had been the leading mind behind the murder?
00:30:59
Had a wife killed her husband? At the heart of the case against
Faria Khan was premeditation.
00:31:11
English law offers a
defense to a victim of years of abuse, who might
have snapped and retaliated.
00:31:16
It's called the
slow burn defense. What makes that
defense difficult is evidence of planning.
00:31:22
This wasn't a
spur of the moment, I don't like my
husband, and I think I'm just going to knock him over
and cause him some injuries.
00:31:28
They had planned this for a
long, long time prior to this. NARRATOR: Faria had collected
weapons for the murder--
00:31:35
evidence of premeditation. They bought the
axes from a B&Q store, again, a couple of days before.
00:31:42
They bought a petrol
can a couple of days before from the same store,
where they bought these big two
00:31:46
brand new orange
axes, which, again, very sinister for me, what
their intention was to drug him,
00:31:53
get him into the car,
get him away, chop him up, and set him on fire. NARRATOR: Something
else that would
00:31:58
prove crucial to the trial. What blew this
investigation wide open for us was a mobile phone
that was found in the car.
00:32:05
NARRATOR: The phone belonged to
the go-between, Neelam Kauser. That took us to all
the text messages.
00:32:11
It took us to who
she'd been contacting, including the band, Dem Boyz. That was a golden nugget.
00:32:18
The text messages are
incredibly incriminating. We have to make
sure this is done.
00:32:23
Have to make sure this is done
properly, et cetera, et cetera. STEVE WHITTAKER: It caused
their downfall, really.
00:32:27
But we found some quite
incriminating text messages where they had been
to his house and sent
00:32:33
a text message that
said he's just put something in the bin outside. So he was having his
house watched, again,
00:32:38
which makes it more sinister. There are also messages
between members of the group
00:32:44
or a member of the group
and Faria's friend, in which Faria's friend is telling them,
come on, you've got a charge
00:32:49
at least 200. You've got to
charge at least 200. This is a man's life. If it wasn't so
tragic, it would
00:32:56
be laughable to pay
somebody 250 or 200 pound to kill somebody else. It's beyond tragic,
isn't it, really.
00:33:04
NARRATOR: From the 4
by 4, police turned up yet more damning evidence. In the Frontera
was a bandanna,
00:33:10
which presumably comes
from one of the rap group. Also in the Frontera
was a knife.
00:33:15
But we found a
knife in the car. Let's go back to where she lives
and see if there's any knives
00:33:22
that match that knife. NARRATOR: The search
would prove conclusive. There was a knife on the side.
00:33:29
And the knife block
contained five knives. There was a hole
for the sixth knife.
00:33:34
And this was the same knife
that we found in the car. So, again, this was fantastic
evidence for us, really,
00:33:41
really good evidence
for us, and quite damning evidence for Khan. NARRATOR: Finally,
as Steve Whittaker
00:33:46
revealed to the
court, the 4 by 4 yielded its most horrific find. In the boot of the
Vauxhall Frontera was
00:33:53
two leather axe head covers. We initially wondered
what these were. These axe head covers transpired
belonged to two axes that were
00:34:02
bought in a pack two
axes with orange handles that were bought from a
B&Q. They weren't buying
00:34:08
axes to chop some wood up. They weren't buying axes to
chop a Christmas tree down.
00:34:12
They were buying these
axes to use in the killing of Khan's husband. We believed and I
believed that they
00:34:21
were going to grab Nawajid. They were going to
get him to the car. And he was going to
meet the end by being
00:34:30
chopped up with the axes
and then set on fire. NARRATOR: [inaudible] against
the weight of police evidence,
00:34:35
Faria's story that she was
the real victim in the case. She told the jury at her trial
that she was under his control,
00:34:45
that she was required to
wear full Islamic dress, and that that was the reason
why she was being abused by him.
00:34:56
STEVE WHITTAKER: We wouldn't
be human if we didn't-- even as police officers--
have some sympathy for a woman
00:35:01
that's been abused and
that turns on her abuser. Of course, there's
going to be sympathy.
00:35:05
Of course, there's going to
be reason to why they do that. But in this case, my sense is,
and I think the entire team's
00:35:11
senses were, well,
actually, the victim here is the person who's been murdered. If she had not attended
the scene, if she had not
00:35:23
fraudulently got that car,
if she had not run him over, maybe, maybe her story
would hold more water.
00:35:33
It would probably be simpler
for her to have carried out the act herself and say this
was the culmination of years
00:35:39
of abuse, and I just couldn't
take it anymore, which is one of the reasons why I
suspect a jury thought,
00:35:44
well, you didn't do that. You went to this group
of rappers and said, here's 200 quid.
00:35:50
You do it for me, which somehow
suggests somebody much more cold, much more calculated.
00:35:57
JANE MONCKTON SMITH: She got
the murderers to the scene. And then she participated
in the violence herself.
00:36:05
This isn't just
somebody who simply is a really nice
person who just was trying to protect themselves.
00:36:16
She's more dangerous than that. She concocted
this story in order to try and persuade
the jury that she
00:36:21
was a victim of domestic abuse. NARRATOR: A story a
jury had to consider. STEVE WHITTAKER:
And it was quite
00:36:26
a hard trial, lots
of things thrown at us throughout the trial. I was personally
accused of trying
00:36:33
to intimidate one of
the accused by lying to her, which was nonsense. And the judge saw through that.
00:36:41
NARRATOR: What would
the verdict be? STEVE WHITTAKER: Were the jury
going to sympathize with her?
00:36:46
I hope not. Were they going to think,
oh, so she's a victim. He deserves to die.
00:36:50
I hope not. But you never know until
the jury comes back. NARRATOR: The verdict
returned by the jury
00:36:55
was that Faria Khan was guilty
of murdering her husband. Faeeza Khan, who campaigns for
the rights of Muslim women,
00:37:02
believes they got it right. The killing of
Nawajid was brutal and certainly premeditated.
00:37:09
And the odds are low
did she intend to commit grievous bodily harm, or did she
intend to kill him on that day?
00:37:14
And the jury saw through that. So it was-- we're
quite elated, really. She murdered him in cold
blood when there were so
00:37:20
many other courses of
action that she could have taken to protect
her and to ensure
00:37:25
that he was still breathing. Whether to celebrate or drink
that night, let me tell ya,
00:37:28
and it was a good day. It was a good day for Nawajid's
family and his friends, really,
00:37:35
who was quite upset, obviously,
that this was a nice guy that worked hard for a living
and had been killed
00:37:41
in such a barbaric way, really. NARRATOR: Convicted
of murder, Faria Khan was sentenced to life with
a minimum term of 20 years.
00:37:49
So the judge summed
it quite ideally when he said, I don't
believe the lies that you've
00:37:53
peddled throughout this court. Regardless of
Khan's backgrounds and the complexities
in her life,
00:37:58
the fact is that Khan
committed a murder. Even though Faria Khan may
have been horribly abused
00:38:04
by her husband, even if she
felt that she'd been terribly treated, the idea of
meeting fire with fire
00:38:13
seems completely inappropriate. NARRATOR: Three
gang members were also found guilty of negligence,
murder, and sent to prison.
00:38:19
One of them was Neelam
Kauser, the teenager who had brought the killer
to the Dem Boyz rappers.
00:38:24
She just went
along with it, again, to play up to this bit of a
silly image of, look at those,
00:38:30
we're going out killing people. So, again, tragic is
not the word, really. NARRATOR: The other two
rappers from the gang
00:38:37
were jailed for conspiracy
to cause grievous bodily harm and conspiracy to kidnap.
00:38:41
These aren't
seasoned criminals. These are young boys
trying to be men, really. And they did every-- they made
every mistake in the book,
00:38:49
really. When sentencing, the
judge was very critical of the members of the rap
group for their willingness
00:38:55
to get involved in a crime
such as this and for the fact that they seemed to
be doing so merely
00:39:00
to gain respect within a fantasy
world in which they lived. Anybody who's stupid enough
to sign up to murder somebody
00:39:07
who they don't really
know, and they're going to be stupid enough to want
to do it for 50 pound each,
00:39:11
gives you a general
idea of we're not talking the brains
of Britain here. We're talking silly boys
who just decided to get
00:39:20
in up to their neck, really. To kill someone
for 200 pounds, these people were not
thinking straight.
00:39:31
She paid the money
to amateurs to assist. And it was the amateurs
that, dare I say,
00:39:37
let Khan down, really. On one level, clearly,
they are violent. On another level,
it's potentially
00:39:43
that they really feel
it and sensed that this is a man who's beating a woman. And they buy into that
story and narrative.
00:39:49
And so they're playing heroes. NARRATOR: For the
investigation team, the verdict had brought justice.
00:39:55
We've got a fantastic
result for the family and a lot of the family
to sort of move on.
00:40:03
What makes it more tragic and
sinister in this investigation is that they hunted him
down like a set of dogs
00:40:08
or like a pack of dogs, really. NARRATOR: The real
reason, the truth of why Faria Khan had killed her
husband is hard to establish.
00:40:16
It's really difficult
to speculate about why Khan actually did what she did. Ultimately, for me,
that's irrelevant.
00:40:25
She committed a crime
and the worst of crimes. I still don't know whether
it was a cultural thing of,
00:40:33
should I get divorced or
shouldn't I get divorced? To organize your
husband's death is terrible.
00:40:40
But that's a different
level from being the one who deals the final blow. And that's what she did.
00:40:47
She wanted to be there to
watch him injured, tortured. And then she wanted to be
the one who murdered him.
00:40:54
She just got desperate that
she just wanted her husband for whatever reason. And we still never
got to that reason.
00:41:00
Probably just hatred of,
I want him out of the way. [music playing] [hip hop music]