Liège Assizes – Motahir Muhammod sentenced to 20 years in prison

Motahir Muhammod, a 48 year old Bangladeshi, was sentenced to 20 years in prison by the Liège Assizes Court on Monday. He was found guilty of murdering his wife. Shifa Begum had her throat cut in July 2012, while she was living at the Nonceveux Refuge centre. Motahir Muhammod cut his wife’s throat in the early hours of the 28th of July 2012. The accused and Shifa Begum were living in a Red Cross Refuge centre in Nonceveux (Aywaille). They arrived in Belgium with their three children under false identities in May 2012. The couple, whose marriage was arranged in 2003 in Bangladesh, were seeking asylum.

Motahir Muhammod denied the killing, and said his wife was killed by other people at the shelter, who were having adulterous relations with her. This story was proved false by the study of evidence in the case files while the jury were deliberating.

The jury found him guilty of murder. To explain their decision, they said that the accused did not seem affected immediately after the incident. They also referred to some of the material evidence, and the variations in the accused’s explanations to investigators.

 It was decided the murder was not premeditated, as the jury could not be certain he acted spontaneously. After the guilty verdict, General Counsel Laurence Maudoux requested a sentence of 20 to 25 years in prison. The defense, Counsel Nève and Counsel Berbuto, had requested a lesser sentence.

Motahir Muhammod was finally given a sentence of 20 years in prison.

 (Source: Belga)


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