Husband torched 'troublesome wife'

Yasmin Aktar was 21 when she married her husband, who was twice her age

A woman was murdered and her body set on fire in a south London park because she had become a "troublesome" wife, the Old Bailey has heard.

Yasmin Akhtar, 35, wanted a divorce and had asked for a settlement of £250,000, said the prosecution.

Mr Jamil, 66, and his son Fethaullah Mohammed, 42, both from Balham, south-west London, deny murdering Mrs Akhtar on 4 March 2002.

Three men, who allegedly assisted in her abduction, David Quarry, 36, from Wandsworth, Paul Bush, 34, from Worcester Park and Rupert Alleyne, 43, from Fulham, also deny murder.

Mrs Akhtar was 21 when she married Mohammed Jamil, then 52, the Old Bailey heard.

In the eyes of Jamil she had become a troublesome woman, threatening their financial stability

Aftab Jafferjee
Prosecutor

Aftab Jafferjee, prosecuting, said they met when he returned to visit his home in Pakistan after suffering a stroke.

They were married for 14 years but after she was allegedly attacked by his son from an earlier marriage, she moved into a refuge and filed for divorce.

Mr Jafferjee said: "It was the final straw. She started what turned out to be a brutal mistake - divorce proceedings.

"It turned into a bitterly contested divorce, with allegations of deception and counter allegations of fraud and forgery.

"She was claming a £250,000 settlement. Jamil was a relatively successful businessman."

On the day of her death, Mr Jafferjee alleged the victim was beaten and then abducted from her home in Redhill, Surrey.

'Hatred'

She was taken to the Old Kent Road, south London, where the Jamil family had a shop run by Mr Mohammed, said prosecution.

"He made no secret of his hatred toward his stepmother. Her financial claim had threatened both Jamil and his son and heir," said Mr Jafferjee.

After she arrived at the Old Kent Road premises she was strangled with black tape, then set alight in Larkhall Park in Clapham.

The court heard the body was wrapped in carpet and petrol poured over her face, so it would burn more readily.

Mr Jafferjee suggested a "cultural mind set" made the men think a Muslim woman of modest background brought to England "should quite simply know her place".

"In the eyes of Jamil she had become a troublesome woman, threatening their financial stability," he said.

The trial continues.