Controlling husband told police:'I've done something terrible'

A loving mum, a talented seamstress, a hard worker and a tragic victim of domestic violence.
Jamal KhanJamal Khan
Jamal Khan

Humera Khan was known to her community as a talented seamstress who took on specialist sewing work in intricate Asian clothing.

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Preston man denies murdering his wife with hammer

The 42-year-old and her husband Jamal, had lived in Pakistan but moved to Preston after the murder of his brother.

Police officers outside the scene of the murderPolice officers outside the scene of the murder
Police officers outside the scene of the murder
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Now, after a week-long trial, her husband, who used an alternative name, Mohammed Farooq, has been found guilty of her murder.

The 52-year-old, who had denied the charge, was told he will face a minimum life term of 16 years at Preston Crown Court on Monday.

They lived in their two bedroomed end terraced home on Chatsworth Street, Fishwick, for around 17 years and to outsiders they appeared a typical hardworking family. But another picture was developing behind closed doors.

Police officers outside the scene of the murderPolice officers outside the scene of the murder
Police officers outside the scene of the murder

Humera was embroiled in a volatile relationship and she had previously called police after Jamal pushed her - because she accidentally spilled tea on his shirt.

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In October 2015 she and their daughter Aicha went to Pakistan to attend a wedding and were due to stay there for 10 days.

But on the tenth day of their trip, Aicha found out her father was in Pakistan, having travelled separately with his sons, and he told her that he intended that she stay there.

Evidence from other witnesses suggested that this was in connection with an intended arranged marriage.

But Aicha was not willing to stay in Pakistan and her parents argued.

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Khan left his wife and daughter in Pakistan, taking their passports with him.

The women managed to return to the UK with the help of the consulate who gave them emergency travel documents, and went to the Clare House refuge in South Ribble.

It was there Humera, who speaks little English, told staff at the refuge that Khan had hit her while she was there and that she was lonely, isolated and frightened that he would hit her again.

She also confided in another support worker at Clare House, that her relationship with the defendant had been abusive.

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Despite this, Humera, who worked at Shazan Foods in Bamber Bridge and ran an eBay shoe business on the side, and her daughter returned to the family home in January 2016.

Aicha, a student, announced her intention to get married and for a while the family were happy, delighted to be planning the ceremony, and the normally volatile household appeared to be calm.

But on February 15 - just two weeks after her wedding - the mum-of-three became part of a horrifying statistic - one of two women a week killed by their partners in England and Wales.

It is thought that she was sat at her beloved sewing machine, wearing earphones, when her husband struck her with a hammer, shattering her skull and causing catastrophic injuries.

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At 2.14 am, Jamal Khan called 999 and said: “I have done something wrong.”

When asked what he had done he said: “It’s something, we fought with my wife. Can you be quick?”

When asked if he had hit his wife, the call ended.

Their son Nasir, who heard her screaming, came down from his bedroom and desperately tried to stem the blood with a towel as his mum sat in her chair semi conscious. He too called an ambulance.

Police found the Jamal sitting on the front step, with the front door open. He told them: “I have done something terrible”

Officers and paramedics were met with a bloody scene.

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Humera’s clothes were stained with blood and blood was running down her face.

There was also blood staining in the pantry and a bloodstained hammer was also found.

Humera was taken to Royal Preston Hospital in a critical condition and underwent surgery, but went into cardiac arrest, and was pronounced dead at 7.31am.

A later medical exam could not find evidence of any defence injuries.

Further education only way of escape

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Preston author Ferzanna Riley, whose family were from Pakistan, understands the cultural difficulties and abuse faced by Humera Khan and her family more than most.

The ordeal faced by Humera and her daughter before her death has startling similarities to her own upbringing.

At six years old she had a knife held to her throat by her father for daring to stand up to him. It marked the start of a campaign of physical and emotional abuse which included dragging her around by her hair, punching her, battering her head against hard objects and throttling her to the point of unconsciousness.

Years later, desperate to escape oppression, she left home to study in London, then dropped out and got a job. Her younger sister did the same.

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But then, in what they saw as an attempt to preserve their honour, her parents tricked her and her sister into flying to Pakistan and introduced them to prospective husbands.

During a 14-week ordeal the girls felt that they were prisoners, and even contemplated suicide.

Ferzanna was a baby when her dad left Pakistan to establish their new life in Lancashire.

He arrived in the late Sixties to take up a job in Preston’s Courtaulds mill. His young wife and two daughters joined him two years later. She believes her shyness when they were reunited triggered his temper.

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She grew up in Langdale Drive in Ribbleton and later Fulwood, with six brothers and sisters.

Her father had at first supported integration but gradually adopted her mother’s hardline interpretation of cultural beliefs.

They had little contact with Preston’s Muslim community.

Most of Ferzanna’s friends were English, and she would lie about “extra” lectures so she could have coffee with them. As she grew older, she stood up for herself and on one occasion, her father was so angry he flung her against a wall and knocked her unconscious.

Ferzanna fled with younger sister Farah to London to rebuild her life.

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She gave birth to daughter Sophie in 1995, but the relationship with her father failed.

Ferzanna converted to Christianity and married Ion.

When her father died in 2002, they were turned away from his wake in Preston.

Three days later Ferzanna, underwent major heart surgery for a congenital condition that had left her needing a wheelchair.

She needs medication and is registered disabled. Despite this she became a full time writer, campaigner, broadcaster and speaker.

She now lives in Norway.

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Her book, Unbroken Spirit, is published by Hodder and Stoughton priced £12.99.

Domestic violence costs country more than £15bn a year

This tragic case has prompted calls for better support for domestic abuse victims from minority communities.

Figures from Lancashire show there is no statistical difference between victims of domestic abuse by ethnicity. Nine per cent of “high-risk” cases between April 2011 and September 2012 involved people from minority ethnic backgrounds which is expected as around nine per cent of the county’s population is from similar backgrounds.

However, it is feared women from BME communities are likely to face additional barriers to receiving the help that they need.

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The most recent Lancashire Domestic Violence Strategy from 2013 acknowledges BME women can experience specific or extra difficulties and that on average, they contact 17 agencies before obtaining the help they need, compared to 11 agencies for other women, due to a lack of specialist services for them.

The focus groups held in Lancashire identified there are further problems for minority women with no recourse to public funds, , the lack of availability of interpreting information and the resulting lack of knowledge about the services that could help and how they work.

It found extra barriers in terms of pressure not to involve the police, immigration worries about official involvement. and lack of access to BME counsellors.

Coun Zafar Coupland who works with the Sahara project supporting BME women in Preston, described the murder as a “very sad situation.”

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She said: “There is no significant difference by ethnicity in the risk of being a victim of domestic abuse, it’s the same for any woman.

“But the difference for women from BME communities are against a background of having no knowledge of who to turn to, or who can support hem, and the honour and cultural issues in terms of reporting it.

“There are a whole range of issues, particularly if they are isolated because they have no relatives over here to turn to, and language barriers.

“It a case of a bit of holding hands to take those first steps initially.

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“They need to understand there is help available. It’s taken many women a long time to make that decision to look for support.

“Someone who understands their religion, their culture, their language - that’s something Sahara can help with.

“We have bilingual colleagues and there a lots of staff from minority denominations. “

Speaking after the case, expert solicitor Rachel Horman called for better funding to support victims.

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She said: “Domestic violence is estimated to cost the country over £15 billion a year, so it is a false economy if we don’t invest in solving this heinous problem.

“Domestic abuse often escalates and for too many women in particular can end in murder – two women a week are killed by their partners in England and wales “ Domestic violence happens in all communities and across all ages ranges and to all classes and that whilst men can be victims it disproportionately affects women – particularly in relation to repeat offences

“Most is not reported and goes on behind closed doors, however there can be signs and opportunities to help. For example many of my clients say that the neighbours have heard them being assaulted and screaming, yet have never contacted the police which I find shocking as we are almost certain to do so if it was a stranger assault in the street.

“Whilst I welcome the verdict in this case I would like to see more investment from the government in tackling abuse. I hope the recent announcement to introduce more robust laws to tackle it will include a budget for training police and the CPS as unfortunately it is still not taken as seriously as it should be, and many victims are turned away by the police, especially if they are reporting non-violent coercive control or stalking.”

A number of specialist services for BME women

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Domestic abuse affects women from all ethnic groups, and there is no evidence to suggest that women from some ethnic or cultural communities are any more at risk than others.

However, the form the abuse takes may vary; in some communities, for example, domestic abuse may be perpetrated by extended family members, or it may include forced marriage, or female genital mutilation (FGM).

Women in ethnic minorities may be afraid of rejection from their community if they ask for help, fear damaging the family’s honour, and may face additional pressure from extended family to stay with an abusive partner - whom they may have been forced or persuaded into marrying in the first place.

If their first language is not English, it may be harder for you to understand the systems of support available or to access appropriate sources of help.

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But there are a number of specialist services for women from BME communities.

All domestic abuse organisations within the Women’s Aid network offer a service to women of all ethnic groups, and some provide services addressing the particular needs of women from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.

Freephone 24 Hour National Domestic Violence Helpline (run in partnership between Women’s Aid and Refuge) on 0808 2000 247 has interpreters on hand