Mohammed Taki

Mohammed Taki was found dead buried in a garden beneath a concrete patio in February 2010 in Alderville Road, Fulham.

He had been wrapped up in a carpet and bedding and buried 18 inches below the patio curled up in the foetal position. The police had used radar to locate the body beneath the patio.

His remains were found following a tip off and after the police dug the garden up, they went to see a dying 52-year-old man who then made a deathbed confession saying that he had strangled him twelve years earlier. It was said that the man had given his reasons for strangling Mohammed Taki, but the reasons were not made public.

The flat owner claimed that he strangled Mohammed Taki. However, he died thirteen days after making his confession.

The confession was made by the flat owner whilst he lay dying from a terminal illness at the Trinity Hospice in Clapham.

Mohammed Taki, who was born in Iraq, was last seen on 12 January 1998 at a doctor's appointment. It was said that he was unemployed at the time and had anger management issues and had a compulsion to blame other people for his own failures.

He was later reported missing on 5 March 1998.

Nearer the time of his disappearance, two men were arrested on suspicion of his murder, but no charges were made.

The remains of Mohammed Taki were identified by a friend that had reported him missing at the time by his hat. When he was shown the hat, her burst into tears.

However, the pathologist was unable to determine his cause of death.

He said that his body was curled up and that he had adhesive tape wrapped around his ankles.

The coroner returned a narrative verdict, stating, 'I think on account that there was an unlawful burial, it raises the issue of suspicion and makes it more likely that the cause of death is an unnatural one. From all the circumstances in which it was found, it is more likely to have been criminally mediated'. He added that there was 'some reliability' to be placed on what the flat owner had said in his confession. He concluded by saying, 'All I can say is I am satisfied on the balance of probabilities that this was an unlawful killing'.

The police later said that they were satisfied that the flat owner had killed Mohammed Taki, but said that they were no ruling out the possibility that there had been other people involved.