- Sunday, April 28, 2024
By: Chandrashekar Bhat
A WEST YORKSHIRE optician has been convicted of murdering his pregnant wife by pushing her off a rocky cliff at Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh.
Fawziyah Javed suffered serious head injuries due to her fall from a height of 50 ft on September 1, 2021 but she told a police officer during her final moment that her husband Kashif Anwar pushed her to death.
Anwar, 29, claimed during the trial that he had slipped and bumped into her while taking a selfie which resulted in her fatal fall – an argument which failed to convince the jury at the High Court in Edinburgh. On Thursday (6), he was also found guilty of causing the death of her unborn child.
Javed, a lawyer who worked with Lyons Davidson Solicitors, met Anwar when she accompanied her mother to buy glasses. They soon began a relationship which led to their wedding in December 2020.
However, Anwar subjected his wife to verbal abuse and prevented her from communicating with her family and friends, the court heard. He was also accused of trying to control her as well as warning her against seeking a divorce or involving law enforcement.
The couple hosted a reception in Leeds before travelling to the Scottish capital where they checked into Residence Inn by Marriott on August 31, 2021.
The following day, the couple planned to visit Arthur’s Seat in Holyrood Park to see the sunset, but it was too late when they arrived at the famous extinct volcano. According to Anwar’s account, they then decided to take a selfie but “I lost my balance and fell into her”.
He claimed he heard her “go over the edge” screaming and “I heard a thud.”
A police constable who reached the spot saw Javed “writhing in pain”. But the woman managed to tell the officer “he pushed me” to end their relationship.
Javed died at the scene and Anwar was arrested. During the trial, he denied all the accusations made against him.
Following his conviction, detective inspector Bob Williamson said it was a traumatic time for Javed’s family who “are understandably devastated by her death”.
When her baby was on the way, her life was “cruelly” taken away by her husband who “should have loved and protected her”, the detective said.
