Fawziyah Javed: Man guilty of murdering his pregnant Leeds wife by pushing her off Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh

Abi Whistance
By Abi Whistance
Published 6th Apr 2023, 14:50 BST
Updated 6th Apr 2023, 15:33 BST
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An abusive Leeds man who pushed his pregnant wife off an Edinburgh landmark to her death just days before she was set to leave him has been jailed for at least 20 years.

Kashif Anwar, 29, from Leeds, was found guilty of the September 2021 murder of Fawziyah Javed, 31, and that of her unborn child, after a six-day trial at the High Court in Edinburgh.

Ms Javed, about 17 weeks pregnant when she was pushed from Arthur’s Seat, used her dying words to reveal it was her abusive husband who caused her to fall about 50ft before her body came to a rest.

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Daniyah Rafique, 24, managed to reach the dying employment lawyer on the side of the hill, where she was told: “Don’t let my husband near me, he pushed me.” Police Constable Rhiannon Clutton, 35, was told by Ms Javed that her husband did it because she “told him I wanted to end (the marriage)”.

4 February 2022..... A vigil where flowers and candles laid in tribute to 31-year-old Fawziyah Javed, who died in September in a vigil at Leeds Civic Hall. Thew Leeds mum-to-be died in tragic circumstances last year remembered during poignant vigils on Friday – the day her baby son was due to be born. Picture Tony Johnson4 February 2022..... A vigil where flowers and candles laid in tribute to 31-year-old Fawziyah Javed, who died in September in a vigil at Leeds Civic Hall. Thew Leeds mum-to-be died in tragic circumstances last year remembered during poignant vigils on Friday – the day her baby son was due to be born. Picture Tony Johnson
4 February 2022..... A vigil where flowers and candles laid in tribute to 31-year-old Fawziyah Javed, who died in September in a vigil at Leeds Civic Hall. Thew Leeds mum-to-be died in tragic circumstances last year remembered during poignant vigils on Friday – the day her baby son was due to be born. Picture Tony Johnson

Judge Lord Beckett imposed a mandatory life sentence on Anwar with an imprisonment period of a minimum of 20 years. He told Anwar: “You have been found guilty of murdering Fawziyah Javed who was a very special person. She was your pregnant wife and you also caused the death of your unborn child.”

He told the killer that his victim was willing to trust that he would keep her safe when they went up Arthur’s Seat, but that he pushed her off when nobody else was around.

The judge said Ms Javed’s mother, Yasmin Javed, had described her as a “beautiful soul inside and out” who was a popular woman.

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As Anwar was handcuffed and taken to the cells, a family member of Ms Javed shouted “die you bastard” at him. Jurors were visibly upset after the result, some crying, and the judge thanked them for the “admirable way” they performed their duties.

In a statement, Ms Javed’s mother said: “There are just no words to describe the depth of pain and grief. There’s no words in the English dictionary that go deep enough.”