An abusive husband has been found guilty of murdering his wife, whose dying words revealed “Don’t let my husband near me, he pushed me” at Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh.
Kashif Anwar, 29, from Pudsey in Leeds has been jailed for life for killing Fawziyah Javed, as they walked at Arthur’s Seat in September 2021.
Anwar was found guilty of the murder of Fawziyah after a six-day trial at the High Court in Edinburgh.
Fawziyah, who was about 17 weeks pregnant, when she was pushed from around 50ft used her dying words to reveal to a witness that her husband had pushed her, the court heard.
Witness Daniyah Rafique, managed to reach the employment lawyer as she lay dying on the side of the hill. Fawziyah’s dying words to the 24-year-old witness were: “Don’t let my husband near me, he pushed me.”
PC Rhiannon Clutton was told by Fawziyah that her husband did it because she “told him I wanted to end the marriage”.
The trial was told that Anwar was violent and abusive towards his wife before her death.
In March 2021, it was claimed Anwar knocked his wife unconscious in a cemetery in Pudsey. On another occasion Anwar is said to have put a pillow over his wife’s face, restricting her breathing, and repeatedly punching her on her head.
Sentencing Anwar, Judge Lord Beckett said his wife had joined him on his “project” to climb Arthur’s Seat despite being pregnant and having a fear of heights.
“She was entitled to expect your protection and support,” the judge said.
He added: “It seems that you sought out a secluded position at the top of a cliff near the summit and waited until darkness fell and it seemed that no-one else was around before you pushed your wife off the edge.
“Fawziyah Javed died far from home on a Scottish hillside and her loving family are left devastated and will never be the same again.”
He imposed a mandatory life sentence with a minimum term of 20 years.
As Anwar was handcuffed and taken to the cells, a family member of Fawziyah shouted “die you b*****d” at him.
Jurors were visibly upset after the result, some crying, and the judge thanked them for the “admirable way” they performed their duties.
In a statement, Fawziyah‘s mother said: “There are just no words to describe the depth of pain and grief.
“There’s no words in the English dictionary that go deep enough.”
Fawziyah’s parents, Mohammed and Yasmin Javed, who live in Leeds were present in court for the trial. They could not wait to become grandparents.
“She was an intelligent, articulate young woman. She was a perfect child, she was beautiful inside and out,” Ms Javed said. “A lot of people have described her as an ‘angel on earth’.
“She was very humble, a teacher wrote to me who Fawziyah kept in touch with for 13 years and said: ‘I didn’t realise how much charity work she did’, she never talked about it.
“Fawziyah would go above and beyond what was expected, she would never say no to anybody.
“She had perfect manners; I feel like the whole world is mourning her.”
Det Insp Bob Williamson, of Police Scotland, said: “This has been an incredibly difficult and traumatic time for Fawziyah’s family who are understandably devastated by her death.
“Fawziyah was much loved and had her life ahead of her with a new baby on the way. This was all cruelly taken from her and her unborn child at the hands of her own husband – someone who should have loved and protected her. Anwar’s actions were incomprehensible and as an investigation team, we welcome today’s verdict.”
