Murder of Rania Alayed

Last updated

Rania Alayed
Rania Alayed.jpg
Rania Alayed
Born1988
Died7 June 2013(2013-06-07) (aged 24–25)
Resting placeNot known
OccupationStudent
Known forHonour killing victim
Spouse(s)Ahmed Al-Khatib
Children3

Rania Alayed was a 25-year-old mother-of-three murdered by her husband in June 2013, in Salford, Greater Manchester, England, in an act of uxoricide. Greater Manchester Police (GMP) Chief Detective Inspector Bill Reade described this as an honour killing, [1] and the prosecutors stated she was murdered for trying to achieve independence from her husband and undergoing westernisation. [2] Alayed's remains have never been found.

Contents

Background

Alayed was of Palestinian descent; [3] she grew up in refugee camps in Syria where she met her husband Ahmed Al-Khatib, marrying him at age 15. [4] Al-Khatib, who was a blacksmith by trade and nine years older than Alayed, was noted as being violent towards her from an early stage. [5] [6]

In February 2005, the couple moved to the United Kingdom, first settling in Norton, Teesside, [7] before moving to Manchester.

According to testimony at Manchester Crown Court, following the move to England Al-Khatib became increasingly jealous and controlling of Alayed and subjected her to years of domestic and sexual violence. In January 2013, she reported him to the police for domestic abuse, obtained a non-molestation order and moved into a homeless hostel, [6] from where she and her children were subsequently rehoused in [8] Cheetham Hill, March 2013. [9] [4]

After the separation she took English classes at Openshaw College, made new friends and "embraced" her new life; [10] Al-Khatib resided with family in nearby Gorton.

The couple had three children, two boys and a girl, [11] and had been separated for only a few months at the time of her death, at age 25. [7] [9]

Crime and burial

On 7 June 2013, at the instigation of her estranged husband, Alayed went to her brother-in-law's home in Salford. [5] [10] According to Al-Khatib, she was to leave their children with him for the weekend and discuss plans for childcare. [7] [12]

Before Alayed's arrival, Al-Khatib's brother Muhanned had sent his partner and children away from the property and around 45 minutes after Alayed arrived was seen leaving the property himself, taking her children with him. Al-Khatib departed shortly thereafter, wearing some of Alayed's clothing in an attempt to give the impression that she had left the property alive. On his return, he put her body in a suitcase, which was then transported in Muhanned's motorhome, and moved to an unknown burial site. [12]

After Al-Khatib had killed Alayed, he accessed her social media accounts and sent messages to her family pretending to be her and claiming to have moved to Turkey. His brother, Muhanned, gave her mobile phone to an acquaintance who was travelling to Turkey and had them text her father from there to say that she was getting remarried. [13]

Friends raised concerns about Alayed's welfare when she failed to attend a meeting on 8 June, and this information was passed from Cleveland Police to Greater Manchester Police on 9 June. [6] However, it was not until 2 July, and following a phone call from her uncle in Lebanon, that she was officially treated as a missing person. [9]

When questioned on 3 July 2013, Al-Khatib claimed that he had not seen Alayed for months and that he thought she was living in Turkey or Syria, [12] but he was duly arrested on 4 July on suspicion of murder and, shortly thereafter, his brother Muhanned contacted police and admitted that Alayed was dead. [13] He claimed that her remains were buried near a layby along the A19 and Al-Khatib gave a similar version, stating that he had buried her near the A19 in Thirsk. [1] The search for Alayed's remains encompassed a 19-mile stretch of the A19 and involved two police forces, teams from the Royal Engineers and RAF, along with specialist sniffer dogs, forensic botanists and archaeologists. The search was called off in September 2013, without success. [14]

Trial and punishment

Ahmed Al-Khatib went on trial, alongside his brothers Hussain and Muhanned, at Manchester Crown Court in April 2014. He presented the partial defence of diminished responsibility, claiming that he was mentally ill and had killed Alayed in self-defence when she appeared to him in the form of an "evil apparition", or djinn. [15] Throughout the trial, in an attempt to convince the jury that he was ill, he rocked back and forth, banged his head repeatedly against the dock and attacked both an interpreter and his brother. [13] [16]

His defence was rejected and he was found guilty of murder, [10] with the Judge stating:

How you killed Rania may never be known but I think it's likely you strangled or smothered her, your actions after you murdered Rania showed no remorse – you thought she deserved to die.[...] Your ridiculous claim that when you killed Rania you were acting in self-defence after seeing her turn into a devil trying to strangle you was a further insult to her memory and the jury’s intelligence. [8]

He received a life sentence with a minimum tariff of 20 years. [17] In addition he pleaded guilty to "perverting the course of justice" for moving the body out of view of the authorities.

Muhanned Al-Khatib was acquitted of murder; he pleaded guilty to "intending to pervert the course of justice". His sentence was discounted to three years in jail because information he gave assisted in the successful prosecution of his brothers. [8]

Hussain Al-Khatib was convicted of "intending to pervert the course of justice" and jailed for four years. [1]

Aftermath

Alayed's case was one of three in 2013 which came within the jurisdiction of Greater Manchester Police (GMP) and in which a known victim of domestic abuse was murdered by their partner. The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), which took more than four years to complete its investigation, found ‘very serious concerns’ and "recurring systems issues" in the way GMP handled domestic violence cases. [9] [18]

Various GMP staff investigated over their handling of Alayed's case were found to have displayed "poor" or "unsatisfactory" performance by the IPCC. None, however, were disciplined for misconduct. [6]

See also

Honour killings in the United Kingdom:

Honour killings of people of Palestinian descent:

General

Related Research Articles

Harold Shipman English doctor and serial killer (1946–2004)

Harold Frederick Shipman , known to acquaintances as Fred Shipman, was an English general practitioner who is considered the most prolific serial killer in modern history with an estimated 250 victims. On 31 January 2000, Shipman was found guilty of the murder of fifteen patients under his care. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with the recommendation that he serve a whole life order. Shipman committed suicide by hanging, in his cell at HM Prison Wakefield, West Yorkshire, on 13 January 2004, a day before his 58th birthday.

Greater Manchester Police English territorial police force

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement within the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester in North West England.

Honour killing of Ghazala Khan Honour killing in Denmark

Ghazala Khan was a Danish woman of Pakistani descent, who was shot and killed in Denmark by her brother after she had married against the will of the family. The murder of Ghazala had been ordered by her father to save the family honour, making it a so‐called honour killing. Nine people from her family took part in arranging and performing the murder and they were all found guilty by Østre Landsret on 27 June 2006 on counts of manslaughter and attempted manslaughter.

Murder of Shafilea Ahmed Suspected honour killing of a 17-year-old British Pakistani girl in 2003

Shafilea Iftikhar Ahmed was a British-Pakistani girl who was murdered by her parents in a suspected honour killing at the age of 17, due to their belief that she had become too Westernised.

Murder of Samaira Nazir

Samaira Nazir was a 25-year-old British Pakistani woman who was murdered by her brother and cousin in an honour killing in Southall, London.

Murder of Banaz Mahmod Honour killing of an Iraqi Kurdish woman in London

Banaz Mahmod was a 20-year-old Iraqi Kurdish woman who lived in Mitcham, South London, England. She was murdered on the orders of her family in a so-called honour killing because she ended a violent and abusive forced marriage and started a relationship with someone of her own choosing. Her father, uncle and three cousins were later convicted of her murder.

Trevor Joseph Hardy, also known as the Beast of Manchester, was a convicted English serial killer who murdered three teenage girls in the Manchester area between December 1974 and March 1976. In 1977, he was found guilty on three charges of murder and was sentenced to life imprisonment, remaining in prison until his death 35 years later.

Honour killings in Pakistan are known locally as karo-kari. Pakistan has the highest number of documented and estimated honour killings per capita of any country in the world; about one-fifth of the world's honour killings are committed in Pakistan. An honour killing is the homicide of a member of a family or social group by other members, due to the belief the victim has brought dishonour upon the family or community. The death of the victim is viewed as a way to restore the reputation and honour of the family.

Murder of Raja Ahmed

PC Raja Bashrat Ahmed was an English police officer serving with Greater Manchester Police (GMP) who was killed when his motorcycle was deliberately rammed by a car thief into moving traffic.

Murder of Tia Rigg Murder of an English girl

Tia Rigg was a girl who was killed in Cheetham Hill, Manchester, England on 3 April 2010. Twelve-year-old Rigg was tortured, raped and murdered by her maternal uncle, John Maden.

Sandeela Kanwal was a Pakistani woman living in the Atlanta metropolitan area in Clayton County, Georgia, who was murdered by her father Chaudhry Rashid in an honor killing, on July 6, 2008.

The murder of Michael Gilbert occurred in 2009 in the United Kingdom. His decapitated body was found in a lake in Arlesey. He had for years been kept as a slave and subjected to abuse by the Watt family, six of whom – including James Watt, the ringleader – were jailed for their role in the murder. Gilbert, who had an unstable childhood, was considered a vulnerable and naive man who was easily exploited.

Shooting of Mark Duggan British black man shot and killed by police in 2011

Mark Duggan, a 29-year-old black British man, was shot and killed by police in Tottenham, North London on 4 August 2011. The Metropolitan Police stated that officers were attempting to arrest Duggan on suspicion of planning an attack and that he was in possession of a handgun. Duggan died from a gunshot wound to the chest. The circumstances of Duggan's death resulted in public protests in Tottenham, which led to conflict with police and escalated into riots across London and other English cities.

Death of Jordan Begley

Jordan Lee Begley, also known as Jordon Begley, a 23-year-old English man, died of cardiac arrest on 10 July 2013. An inquest in 2015 found that Begley's death had been partly due to the actions of Greater Manchester Police officers who shot him with a Taser while they restrained and handcuffed him around two hours prior to his death.

Robert Brown is a Scottish man who spent 25 years in jail for a crime he did not commit. In January 1977, Annie Walsh was beaten to death in her home in Manchester, England and Brown was first interrogated and beaten by the police officers investigating this crime. Under duress, Brown signed a confession and was found guilty at trial. He maintained his innocence throughout his prison sentence even going so far as denying himself parole by not admitting to the crime. He was released on appeal in 2002 and is thought to be one of the longest serving victims of a miscarriage of justice in the United Kingdom.

Murder of Surjit Athwal Honour killing of a British Indian woman in India

Surjit Kaur Athwal was a British Indian woman murdered in an honour killing in India. She was 27 years old at the time of her death, and had two children, aged 7 and 9 months.

Murder of Tulay Goren

Tulay Goren was a 15-year-old Kurdish schoolgirl from Woodford Green, North London who went missing in January 1999.

Murder of Heshu Yones

Heshu Yones was a 16-year-old Iraqi Kurd from Acton, west London who was murdered by her father in an honour killing. Abdalla Yones killed his daughter for becoming too "westernised" and for engaging in a relationship against his orders. He was sentenced to life in prison in September 2003, with a minimum term of fourteen years.

Murder of Rukhsana Naz 1998 honour killing in England

Rukhsana Naz was a 19-year-old British Pakistani woman and mother-of-two from Normanton, Derby, who was murdered by family members in an honour killing.

An honor killing, honour killing, or shame killing is the murder of an individual, either an outsider or a member of a family, by someone seeking to protect what they see as the dignity and honor of themselves or their family. Honor killings are often connected to religion, caste and other forms of hierarchical social stratification, or to sexuality, and those murdered will often be more liberal than the murderer rather than genuinely "dishonorable". Most often, it involves the murder of a woman or girl by male family members, due to the perpetrators' belief that the victim has brought dishonor or shame upon the family name, reputation or prestige. Honour killings are believed to have originated from tribal customs. They are prevalent in various parts of the world, as well as in immigrant communities in countries which do not otherwise have societal norms that encourage honor killings. Honor killings are often associated with rural and tribal areas, but they occur in urban areas too. Although condemned by international conventions and human rights organizations, honor killings are often justified and encouraged by various communities.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Husband jailed for life over Rania Alayed murder". The Guardian . Press Association. 4 June 2014. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
  2. "Rania Alayed murder: Husband jailed for 'honour killing'". BBC. 4 June 2014. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
  3. "Murdered mother's body may have been moved". The Northern Echo. 2 January 2014.
  4. 1 2 Osuh, Chris (4 June 2014). "Rania Alayed honour killing: Mum convinced husband would kill her". Manchester Evening News.
  5. 1 2 Jones, Abbie (4 June 2014). "Rania Alayed: Father regrets not helping her leave husband". BBC . Retrieved 8 December 2019.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "IPCC Investigation into GMP response to calls for assistance relating to Rania Alayed" (PDF). Independent Police Complaints Commission (via National Archives). Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  7. 1 2 3 "Rania Alayed murder accused 'saw wife with four heads'". BBC. 15 May 2014. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
  8. 1 2 3 Osuh, Chris (4 June 2014). "Husband guilty of Rania Alayed's murder". Manchester Evening News.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Keeling, Neal (19 October 2017). "Evidence of police failures over murder of three domestic violence victims". Manchester Evening News.
  10. 1 2 3 Jones, Abbie (4 June 2014). "Rania Alayed murder: Wife 'wanted a new life'". BBC . Retrieved 8 December 2019.
  11. Scheerhout, John (4 June 2014). "Rania Alayed's family tell of her children's devastation". Manchester Evening News.
  12. 1 2 3 "Husband jailed for life over Rania Alayed murder". The Guardian. 4 June 2014.
  13. 1 2 3 "Rania Alayed killing: Husband's texts pretending wife still alive". Manchester Evening News. 4 June 2014.
  14. "Family of missing Manchester woman Rania Alayed appeal for information" . The Independent. 2 January 2014. Archived from the original on 18 June 2022.
  15. "Man 'killed evil apparition wife'". BBC News. 1 May 2014.
  16. "Husband restrained in court after outburst at Rania trial". ITV News. 1 May 2014.
  17. "Criminal sentence R v Ahmed Al-Katib". The Law Pages.(registration required)
  18. "Force response to abused women criticised". BBC News. 19 October 2017.