‘Honour killing’ family jailed

A father who instructed his two sons to kill their sister’s boyfriend has been sentenced to life imprisonment.

Bangladeshi waiter Chomir Ali, 44, was told he must serve at least 20 years in jail, for ordering the murder of 19-year-old Arash Ghorbani-Zarin.

His sons, nineteen-year-old Mujibar Rahman and sixteen-year-old Mamnoor Rahman, were both sentenced to a minimum of 16 and 14 years, respectively.

Mr Ghorbani-Zarin, an Iranian Muslim who was studying electrical engineering at Oxford Brookes University, died after being stabbed 46 times – mostly in the chest – in his car in Oxford on November 20 last year.

The court heard how Ali had been opposed to Mr Ghorbani-Zarin’s relationship with his daughter, 20-year-old Manna Begum, which began in the summer of 2003.

Ali had planned an arranged marriage for Manna and the court heard how he had made several attempts to end the couple’s relationship. The court was told that Ali was “embarrassed” to hear of the couple being seen in public holding hands.

Miss Begum then became pregnant in August 2004 and the court was told that Ali had ordered his two sons to kill Mr Ghorbani-Zarin.

Ali and his two sons were found guilty of murder at Oxford Crown Court last month.

At sentencing today, Mr Justice Gross described the murder as a “cold-blooded intentional killing”. He said: “Far from vindicating your family’s honour, you have permanently dishonoured your family with the stain of murder.”

(KMcA)