Khadya Anwar

Khadya Anwar was battered to death at her home in Victoria Street, Ashton-under-Lyne on Monday 2 October 1995.

Her 23-year-old nephew was tried for her murder but acquitted.

The court heard that Khadya Anwar had planned to leave her husband due to his heavy drinking and violence towards her but that he had been in Germany at the time of the murder. The judge called him:

Khadya Anwar had been virtually blind. She had been battered to death in what was described as a sustained and brutal attack. She was heard to have previously warned her children that if she was killed that they should look primarily to their father as the killer.

The judge noted that Khadya Anwar's husband had gone to Germany for no good reason at the last moment, taking his eldest son with him, suggesting that he had done so to ensure that Khadya Anwar would be alone in the house. Khadya Anwar's husband had been a taxi-driver.

The police said they were trying to trace a youth that was seen driving off at speed from the house after the murder.

Khadya Anwar's body was found by her 14-year-old son in their kitchen on the Monday evening.

It was thought she had been murdered around 2.15pm, three hours before her body was found, when a four door, gold coloured saloon car was seen reversing at speed from the drive of the house before going off towards Stalybridge. It was noted to have driven off at speed along Victoria Street and to have ignored a Give Way sign at the junction with William Street.

Witnesses said that it had been driven by an Asian managed about 18 or 19 who was alone.

A detective said:

She had been struck on her head repeatedly with a heavy instrument over a dozen times, possibly a hammer. However, the murder weapon was never found.

She had been struck first whilst she was standing up, and then whilst she was lying on the floor.

The 23-year-old nephew was acquitted of the murder charge at the direction of the judge after it was heard that he had an alibi and could not have travelled from his home in Cedar Road, Armely, to Ashton in time to have murdered her.