'You were a tyrant, who thought of your daughter-in-law as nothing more than a servant... now you are a murderer'

Nadeem Begum was found guilty of murder earlier this week

A judge has slammed a murderer who strangled his ‘vibrant’ daughter-in-law to death, dubbing him a ‘medieval baron’.

Nadeem Begum, 53, was jailed for life after being found guilty of the murder of Mashal Ilyas at the family home in Atherton last year.

Issues first came to light between Begum, and 24-year-old Ms Ilyas, who had moved into the family home after marrying his son Gulrez Nadeem by way of arranged marriage. The court heard how difficulties developed due to Begum’s ‘traditional’ views on her role within the household and his expectation that she cook and clean for the extended family.

Just seven months later, Ms Ilyas was found unconscious at the bottom of the stairs at the house on Oxford Road with injuries to her neck. A post mortem report later revealed that she had been subjected to asphyxiation.

Begum, who had been home at the time, claimed he had been asleep and had not heard anything until he found her. This was disproved by phone evidence showing his phone was active for most of the morning.

After his conviction earlier this week, he has now been jailed for life. Judge Elizabeth Nicholls told him: “It is obvious you were a tyrant, and you ruled like a medieval baron controlling your kingdom.”

History of anger problems

Prosecuting, Mark Rhind KC said: “She was happy in her marriage but increasingly unhappy with her position in the house and unhappy with the behaviour of Nadeem Begum. As time went on, Mashal Ilyas was incredibly keen to live independently with her husband away from the house and the extended family.”

It was following an argument between them after she had asked for a family member to come to visit that Begum ignored her for months, until killing her on October 9, 2024.

After she had called her mother and left her on hold whilst she tended to the washing machine, the pair crossed paths and Begum ‘lost his temper’.

The court heard he had a history of anger problems and had been to his GP in August last year.

“The evidence reveals it was clear that during that violence, Begum smothered her covering her nose and mouth with his hands and straining her, likely using his arm to crush her neck and restrict her breathing,” Mr Rhind added.

During the struggle she scratched him to his neck. His DNA was later recovered under her fingernails.

Pathologists concluded that Begum asphyxiated her for a period of between one and three minutes. He was alone with her for up to 40 minutes before calling his son, Danish, for help, instead of calling the emergency services, the court heard.

He then claimed to the police, his family and the trial that she had fallen down the stairs whilst he had been asleep. Jurors rejected the claim and found him guilty of murder on Tuesday, May 13.

The court heard one message to her friend a month before her death read: “I’m not depressed all the time, it's up and down, there are so many things. Pray for me, I don't have any family here and things are affecting me”

She also wrote in her diary: “I just pray to God that he [Gulrez] takes me out of this toxic environment.”

'She was everything to me'

In an emotional victim impact statement, Mashal's mother - Rehana Ilyas - spoke of the young woman ‘with her whole life ahead of her’. She said she loved and adored her husband, that they had discussed having children and were a ‘beautiful couple’.

“She had respect and self respect. She was kind to herself and others, and happy and loved in our family,” she wrote. “She was everything to me.”

Her mother said she was clever, a happy child and never spoiled.

“She taught Gulrez how to laugh,” she continued. “As soon as she became a part of his [Begum’s] family, his behaviour changed. He did not like them to be happy together.

“The day she died, Begum made a call to me directly. He said straight away that Mashal had fallen down the stairs and had died. He gave me this news without any feeling.”

She said Mashal was ‘so strong and would have resisted’.

“I wonder how she would have grown as a woman and a mother and who she would have become,” she said. “The children she would have had, the memories she would have made, the challenges she would have overcome.

“Nadeem Begum took that away from her in one senseless moment of time. If he was not happy with her, he could have asked us to bring her home - he did not need to kill.”

In brief mitigation, Ayaz Qazi KC said that as head of the household, Begum had ‘great responsibility’.

He said his client still suggests that ‘it wasn’t me’, and added that there was an absence of premeditation.

'You are an egotistical and domineering male, and now a murderer and a coward'

Sentencing, Judge Nicholls told Begum: “Mashal Ilyas was an intelligent, vibrant, kind and happy young woman who came to England as Gulrez Nadeem’s bride. By October she was dead at your hands.

“You denied involvement in the face of overwhelming and irrefutable evidence.

“Her life shrunk when she came to England. She felt her purpose was to marry and stay at home, have children and serve the family all her life until she died.”

She described that at one stage, Begum regretted the proposal and ‘resented spending money to bring this rare creature to the country’.

She continued: “By your actions, you silenced her but her voice rings out through her diary and messages to friends.

“It is obvious you were a tyrant, and you ruled like a medieval baron controlling your kingdom. You obviously cared nothing for Mashal and thought of her as nothing more than a servant to cook and clean and serve you. You made no effort to know her.

“You are an egotistical and domineering male, and now a murderer and a coward. You don’t have the courage to give an explanation. I suspect all your family lived in fear of your irrational behaviour

“She was a vulnerable young lady, she was alone and a great physical distance from her family. She was reliant on you and your family - you should have looked after her like a daughter. One can only imagine how isolated and frightened she felt.

Begum, of Oxford Road, was jailed for life to serve a minimum term of 18 years in prison before the Parole Board will consider him safe to be released.

'Brutal and unprovoked attack'

Speaking after the hearing Duncan Thorpe, Senior Investigating Officer from GMP's Major Incident Support Unit, said: “Firstly, our thoughts as an investigation team are still with Mashal’s loved ones at what is a very emotional and difficult time for them.

“Since we became aware of the incident, we explored all available lines of investigation to get to the truth - that Nadeem Begum had attacked and strangled Mashal.

“This was a brutal and unprovoked attack on a young woman who had come to the UK to start a new life.

“Begum now has to face the consequences; we are pleased we have been able to bring justice and some form of closure for the family.”