Naila Mumtaz death: Family members found guilty of murder

Four members of a Birmingham family have been found guilty of murdering a pregnant woman they believed was possessed by a djinn, or evil spirit. Mohammed Mumtaz, 25, claimed his wife Naila Mumtaz, 21, had tried to strangle herself at home in 2009.

He was found guilty along with his parents, Zia Ul-Haq and Salma Aslam, both 51, and brother-in-law Hammad Hassan, 24, all of Craythorne Avenue.

All four will be sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court at a later date.

The body of Mrs Mumtaz, who had been six months pregnant, was found by paramedics in a bedroom at the family home on 8 July 2009.
'More like suicide'

Wendy Bounds, from the West Midlands Crown Prosecution Service, said the "kind-hearted and beautiful young woman" had agreed to leave Pakistan and enter into an arranged marriage with Mumtaz.

She added: "She was aware that he suffered from a physical disability, but she was not put off by his appearance, taking the kind-hearted view that all living things had the same value.

"However, the jury today found that her husband and his family did not share her values."

Prosecutor Christopher Hotten QC had quoted details of Mumtaz's account to police after his wife's death, saying: "He said she started to grab her own face and was screaming in anger. (...)