Bromley-by-Bow murderer jailed for life

A 36 year old man from Bromley-by-Bow, Sheikh Shahidul Islam, has been sentenced to life imprisonment, with an order that he serve at least fourteen and a half years in prison.  His two sons have life sentences which are without limit:  they will grow up without their mother, because their father murdered her.

Sheikh Islam and Rushna Begum had been married for ten years. Mr Islam liked to gamble – and from 2009 it took over his life. He losses were some £90,000 over the years, and to pay his debts he had to sell his takeaway shop in East Ham and a kiosk which he also owned. He spent the couple’s savings; he sold Ms Begum’s car and her jewellery and even took her wages to feed his habit.

With the gambling problem came domestic violence. Ms Begum had reported this to the police, telling them that she had been “mentally tortured” by her husband. Ms Begum had confided in staff at a domestic violence centre that her husband had threatened her with a knife and she reported the incident to the police. On a subsequent visit to the domestic violence centre, she was seen to have a black eye and other bruises.

In early 2011, with debts still standing at £30,000, Mr Islam was taken to court by creditors. Ms Begum reported her husband’s behaviour to her housing manager. She reported that her husband had threatened to kill her on “numerous occasions” and that she was “extremely concerned” about her own safety and that of her children.

In February 2011, the wider families of the couple met with them to discuss their deteriorating relationship. Mr Islam was initially defensive, accusing his wife of having had an affair, but eventually he asked her forgiveness for his actions and she decided to stay with him. Within weeks, Mr Islam was threatening to kill her again.

Ms Begum is reported to have told agencies to whom she explained her situation that she did have rows with her husband over their financial hardship, caused by his gambling. She said that she had told him she would leave him, and he had responded by threatening her, to stop her. She took the threats seriously and was scared, because of his unpredictable behaviour.

On 25th May 2011, Ms Begum’s mother telephoned their home, a council flat in Devas Street, but Mr Islam would not speak to her. Mr Islam, in a weak effort to defend himself, told the Court that this had made the couple argue. He said that Ms Begum had said “I have broken my promise to you” and he had taken this as an admission that she was having an affair. We only have his word that this is what happened.  He then stabbed his wife to death. Police later found a bloodstained knife in the bin: tidying up the murder weapon is hardly the action of someone who has lost control and is not responsible for their actions.

Even if Mr Islam had gone through with the stabbing in the heat of the moment (which would still have been completely inexcusable), his first thoughts were not to summons help for his wife but to travel to his relatives in Luton (again, not a course of action which is easily taken by someone who has lost control). His relatives reported that he was upset and tearful when he arrived. He asked his relatives to call the police. When the police arrived to arrest him, he told them that he loved his wife and wanted to die. Again, this shows how he thought only of himself. You don’t stab people you love. You don’t “want to die” because you have murdered your wife – though you may regret being found out and having to face the consequences.

The police went to the flat, where they found Ms Begum’s body. They also found a two year old child, the couple’s son, crying. He told the police, “Mummy couldn’t answer the phone because she was sleeping.” The child had been alone with his “sleeping” mother for some four hours.  When the police questioned Mr Islam about the child’s presence, he said that he thought the child was at nursery and hadn’t realised he was in the flat. Calculating enough to figure out, albeit wrongly, that the child was at nursery – but not in control enough to stop himself murdering his wife, then?  It is no wonder that Detective Inspector Pete North, who described the event as a “violent and despicable crime”, reported that Islam had not “displayed any sign of remorse or compassion throughout the investigation.”

Mr Islam pleaded guilty to the murder charge. Judge Brian Barker, sentencing Islam at the Old Bailey, said that the murderer had caused Ms Begum’s family “untold anguish”. A victim’s impact statement, read out in Court on behalf of Ms Begum’s uncle, who had helped arrange her marriage, confirmed this. He said that Ms Begum’s children, who are being looked after by Ms Begum’s own mother, have “had their whole world turned upside down.” He also said that the younger child was still experiencing nightmares and was affected by the colour red.

All the right agencies knew about the situation Ms Begum was in. The wider families knew. No one took any decisive action to help Ms Begum keep herself safe. It is easy to be wise after the event, but we must learn to be wise before the event.

There is no excuse for “mental torture” in a marriage or in any family relationship. If it goes unchallenged, it can also easily slip over into physical violence. Whoever finds out about it – whether professionals or the wider family – must speak out, because it is wrong and can end in tragedy.