13/03/2007

Man jailed for life for family murder

A man has been jailed for life for murdering his wife and three children.

Rahan Arshad, 36, had denied four counts of murder, but was found guilty at Manchester Crown Court.

The bodies of Uzma Rahan, 32, and the couple's three children - Adam, 11, Abbas, eight and Henna, six - were found in the family home in Turves Road, Cheadle Hulme, Greater Manchester on August 20 last year.

However, the murders are thought to have taken place in late July.

The court was told that Arshad had beaten his family death with a rounders bat in a jealous rage after discovering that his wife was having an affair.

Following the murders, Arshad flew to Thailand, where he was arrested on the border with Malaysia on August 30.

Shortly after being arrested, Arshad had confessed to killing both his wife and children. However, during the trial he had claimed that his wife had murdered the children and he was provoked into killing her, but claimed that he could not remember the attack.

Passing sentence on Tuesday, Mr Justice David Clarke described the murders as "brutal and horrific" and said: "Life imprisonment in your case means life."

(KMcA/JM)


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