Two decades ago, Britain was rocked by one of its most brutal and notorious honour killings. The murder of 20-year-old Banaz Mahmod exposed a chilling world of familial betrayal and systemic failure.
A Life Lived in Fear
Banaz Mahmod was just 20 years old when she was killed on 24 January 2006. She had moved to Mitcham, South London, with her family a decade earlier, after her father, a former soldier, sought asylum from Saddam Hussein's regime.
Her life in the UK was marked by abuse. At 17, she was forced into an arranged marriage with a man a decade older, from which she eventually fled after suffering repeated beatings and rape. Desperate for safety, she returned to the family home, where she fell in love with a man of her own choosing, Rahmat Sulemani.
This act of independence sealed her fate. Her father, Mahmod Babakir Mahmod, and uncle, Ari Agha Mahmod, decided she had brought "shame" on the family and conspired to kill her to restore their "honour" within the Kurdish community.
A Horrific and Premeditated Murder
Banaz had feared for her life, reporting her concerns to police on five separate occasions. Tragically, she was not taken seriously. Her worst fears materialised when her family hired a hitman, Mohamad Hama, to carry out the murder.
On that January morning, Banaz was pinned down by her two cousins, Mohammed Saleh Ali and Omar Hussain, in the living room of her parents' home. She was subjected to over two hours of torture and rape. Hama later boasted about the assault, describing how he eventually strangled her with a bootlace and stamped on her neck to "get her soul out".
After the killing, her body was crammed into a suitcase. The trio then drove to Birmingham, where they buried her in a garden pit. Her remains lay undiscovered for three months.
Justice and Lasting Legacy
Her disappearance was reported by her boyfriend, Rahmat Sulemani, who tragically took his own life in 2016. The investigation, led by DCI Caroline Goode, uncovered the horrifying truth. The family showed no interest in finding her, a fact DCI Goode described as an "absolute outrage".
The subsequent trials saw her father jailed for life with a minimum term of 20 years. Her uncle received a life sentence with a minimum of 23 years. Mohamad Hama admitted murder and was given a minimum 17-year term. Her cousins were extradited from Iraq and convicted three years later, receiving minimum sentences of 22 and 21 years.
The case sparked national outrage and was later dramatised in an ITV series, Honour. Banaz's sister, Bekhal Mahmod, who testified at the trial and now lives under a new identity, continues to live in fear. She supports the proposed Banaz's Law, which seeks to recognise "honour" abuse as a statutory aggravating factor in sentencing, improve spotting of abuse signs, and empower victims.
As the 20th anniversary of her death passes, the call for change and the memory of Banaz's tragic story endure.
