Mohammed Azim, 41, has been jailed for life with a minimum of 20 years for the murder of his 19-year-old girlfriend Lily Whitehouse. He used his recovery truck as a weapon to crush her against a lamppost on Old Park Lane in Oldbury, West Midlands, on 5 November 2025, just hours after she visited her premature daughter in hospital.
Harrowing CCTV Footage Reveals Attack
The court was shown CCTV footage from a nearby school capturing the sound of Azim's truck idling for about 16 minutes before Lily is seen walking quickly along the road. Prosecution counsel Rachel Brand KC stated: "The defendant is driving the truck as if he was nudging or pushing her along the road. Lily started running, the vehicle is pursuing her at a low speed but, nevertheless, we say he was clearly using that large, heavy vehicle as a weapon." A loud bang is heard as the truck struck a lamppost.
A pathologist found that Lily suffered catastrophic chest injuries, including a broken upper arm, fractured ribs, a lacerated liver, and traumatic chest injuries causing severe bleeding, which led to her death. She was in an upright position at the time of impact.
Azim's Lies and Attempt to Cover Tracks
Within minutes of the fatal attack, Azim called 999 claiming he had seen Lily hit by a vehicle that did not stop. He picked up her lifeless body, placed it in his van, and moved her to a nearby pavement before emergency services arrived. Body camera footage shows him telling crews he chased the car he claimed hit her. He was arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder after appearing agitated. He later told detectives he had no memory of the incident.
In court, Azim admitted lying about the hit-and-run but claimed he accidentally hit Lily while trying to leave after dropping her off near her flat. He said Lily wanted to go to his house despite his refusals because he was tired and had work early. However, Detective Inspector Nigel Box said: "He could have stopped, he could have gone the other way if he were trying to get away from Lily, but he chose to drive his vehicle directly at her."
History of Abuse
Lily's friend Libby Higgs told the court that Lily had disclosed verbal and physical abuse, including being punched and bruised. Higgs said: "She told me he used to say vile things to her, he used to punch her and do things to her like that and at points it would mark her arms. She asked him why he did that and he said it was play fighting. She had to wear jackets to hide them." Lily recognised the relationship was unhealthy and planned to leave Azim once her baby was discharged from hospital, as she feared social services involvement.
Azim denied ever assaulting Lily and claimed she sent messages for attention. He said: "She send messages that are not true to get my attention. I got to know her background, I had a similar childhood to her. I wanted to help her and be there for her." The pair began dating when she was 16 and he was 37.
Impact on Family and Sentencing
Lily's aunt Melissa Wheeler said the victim had been "besotted" with Azim but the relationship was volatile. Lily went into labour 10 weeks early after falling and cutting her hand following an argument with him. The jury returned a verdict of murder by a majority of 10 to two after less than six hours of deliberation.
Passing sentence at Wolverhampton Crown Court, Judge Mr Justice Murray said: "Your decision to kill Lily was spontaneous, but you would have been aware she had a five-week-old baby still in hospital. The baby has lost her mother forever at the very beginning of her life." He noted that Lily was psychologically vulnerable and dependent on Azim, and that he was aggressive and controlling. The judge sentenced on the basis that Azim intended to cause really serious harm, not necessarily to kill.
Lily's cousin Katie said their world "collapsed" and that they are haunted by thoughts of her last moments. Her aunt Ms Wheeler stated: "You were meant to love her, but you killed her. I hope you spend the rest of your life knowing what you did to Lily."
Previous Convictions
The court heard Azim came to the UK from Pakistan in 2001 and had previous convictions for possession of cannabis, evasion of duty on tobacco, and battery in 2012. Detective Inspector Nigel Box said: "Sadly in this case Lily's baby will never know her mother, Lily's family are absolutely devastated. I'm satisfied that my team carried out a thorough and detailed investigation into the circumstances that led to Lily's death, and this conviction will go some way to securing justice for Lily."
