The first man to be extradited to the UK from Pakistan since 2005 has today (8 February) been jailed for life over the murders of two men in Bradford.
Mohammed Zubair was sentenced at Bradford Crown Court to a minimum of 32 years in prison. A jury yesterday found him guilty of the murders of Ahmedin Khyel and Imran Khan in May 2011.
After a long legal battle, in which Zubair’s lawyers fought for two years to avoid him being extradited, he was finally returned to the UK in May 2015 to face trial. It was the first extradition to the UK from Pakistan since 2005.
Richard Sagar, from the CPS, said:
“This has been a complex case for the CPS to prosecute, but today justice has finally been done.
“With the aid of his mother, Zubair fled the country immediately after the killings and fought tooth and nail to avoid being extradited to this country.
“We worked tirelessly to ensure that he was returned to the UK to face justice. This case makes it abundantly clear that criminals who seek to evade the law will not escape.”
In May 2011, Zubair discovered that his wife had been having an affair with Khyel.
Both Khyel and his friend Khan were lured to the family home in Heath Terrace, Bradford. There they were set upon by Zubair, his friend Sabir Hussain, and possibly one other person, leaving the two men with fatal head injuries.
Their bodies were then dumped on a country road where they were later discovered by two passing motorists. Zubair then fled to Pakistan.
In 2012, Sabir was found guilty of manslaughter for his part in the killings, and Zubair’s mother, Arab Sultana, pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice. She had booked and paid for the flights to Pakistan for her son, knowing that he was wanted by the police.
Zubair’s then wife, Kainat Bibi, admitted lying to the police and making a false witness statement. All three were sentenced at Bradford Crown Court in 2012.
Richard Sagar added:
“The CPS was able to demonstrate that Zubair’s marriage to Kainat Bibi was foundering and that she had begun an affair with Khyel.
“We were also able to argue in court that Zubair took a lead role in these two killings. Both men suffered catastrophic head injuries inflicted by a heavy weapon and their blood was found in Zubair’s van. We also argued that Zubair’s actions after the killings were not those of an innocent man.”
Notes for editors
· Richard Sagar is a Senior Crown Prosecutor with CPS Yorkshire and Humberside.
