Birmingham woman set fire to husband because of his affair, court told

A woman accused of killing her husband by setting him alight at their home in Birmingham had earlier threatened to do something, “the family might regret” during a phone call with the victim’s brother, it has been claimed.

It is alleged Shahnaz Begum carried out the attack out of jealousy because her husband had started a relationship with another woman.

Begum, 36, of Church Hill Road, Handsworth, has denied murdering Liaqat Zaman, who died three days later after suffering 70 per cent burns.

Peter Grieves-Smith, prosecuting, at Birmingham Crown Court, said the couple had married in 1994 but in 2006 Mr Zaman met a woman called Maryam Bham over the internet and married her according to Islamic law.

He said Mr Zaman, a postal worker, would spend weekends with his “other wife” and that the defendant was upset about the relationship and concerned about the amount of money her husband was spending on the woman.

On February 6 last year, he said, after Mr Zaman had bought a car for Maryam Bham, Begum had thrown petrol over his groin area while he was watching TV before setting it alight.

Rafaqat Zaman, from Erdington, said his brother had appeared well and happy the last time he saw him and continued: “He was a family kind of person. He respected family values and really loved life.”

Asked whether his brother had considered suicide he said: “Never. He was full of life and would never take his own life. He had no reason to.”

Mr Zaman said that the defendant had phoned him in November 2008 just before he was about to go to Pakistan and told him about the other woman.

“She briefly said that he was going out with another woman of Indian origin. She was calling her names. She said she was an Indian prostitute.

“She wanted to know if I could do anything about it. She wanted me to tell him to stop all this.”

Mr Zaman said he had not spoken to his brother because he did not want to embarrass him.

He said on his return from Pakistan, Begum phoned him again and seemed really upset.

The court heard she told him that her husband was still seeing the woman and asked what “you people” were going to do about it.

He said she told him: “If things get out of hand I might do something the family might regret.”

Mr Zaman said he had tried to calm Begum down and told her he would speak to his brother and also his parents.

The case continues