Nadeem Begum, 54, Denies the Murder of His Daughter-in-Law Mashal Ilyas

On October 9 last year, Nadeem Muhammed Begum, 54, is accused of murdering his daughter-in-law, Mashal Ilyas, at their home in Atherton. The court heard that tensions existed between Mr. Begum and Ms. Ilyas, attributed to Mr. Begum’s traditional views on her role within the household.

Ms. Ilyas, 24, was discovered unresponsive at the bottom of the stairs, having sustained injuries to her neck. A subsequent post-mortem report concluded she had died from asphyxiation.

Mr. Begum is currently on trial at Manchester Crown Court, pleading not guilty to murder.

During the proceedings, Gulrez Nadeem, Mr. Begum's son and Ms. Ilyas's husband, recounted the events of that morning. He stated that they had both woken up and prayed together before he left for work. He noted that Ms. Ilyas seemed unusually quiet and when asked if she was okay, she simply replied she was "just tired."

After arriving at his workplace, an Amazon warehouse, Mr. Nadeem sent a message to her saying “good morning.” However, her brief and odd response raised his concerns.

Gulrez Nadeem testified that Ms. Ilyas's mother called him to report that Ms. Ilyas was not responding during a phone call, which lasted approximately 18 minutes. After attempts to reach her via phone went unanswered, he called relatives to check if she was at home.

Shortly thereafter, he received a devastating call from the police informing him of Ms. Ilyas's passing. Overcome with anger, he questioned how this could have happened if she had been on the phone just moments before.

Upon arriving home, he encountered a police officer and learned the grim details of the situation. He described how his father claimed to have found Ms. Ilyas on the stairs after waking up and going to the bathroom.

He further explained how an argument between Ms. Ilyas and Mr. Begum erupted over her request for a family friend to stay over, leading to a conflict that left Ms. Ilyas upset and crying. Mr. Nadeem indicated that this argument was atypical for Ms. Ilyas's family, contributing to her fear during the altercation.

In his account, Danish Nadeem, Mr. Begum’s other son, confirmed receiving a call from his father instructing him to return home due to a "problem." Upon his arrival, he found Ms. Ilyas lying on the stairs, agreeing with his brother's account of their father's actions leading up to the tragic discovery.

Mr. Begum, from Oxford Road, Atherton, continues to deny the murder charge.