Naz Shah Opens Up About Mother's Murder Trial in Emotional Memoir Extract
In a deeply personal revelation, Labour MP Naz Shah has detailed the traumatic events surrounding her mother's murder trial in an exclusive extract from her new memoir. She describes how nothing could have prepared her or her mother for the accusations and legal battles that followed the death of a family friend.
The Shocking Accusations and Arrests
On April 11, 1992, Uncle Azam died from complications related to gastroenteritis. Naz Shah recalls him as a kind and generous figure, but she was aware of an unspoken "something" between him and her mother, though she never questioned it due to her upbringing. The reality, she later learned, was that her mother was in a coercive and abusive relationship with Azam.
After Azam's burial, rumours began to swirl within the community, suggesting he had behaved inappropriately towards Naz and that her mother had killed him. Azam's wife suspected poisoning and provided a vomit sample to the coroner, which tested positive for arsenic. This led to police arriving at their home, asking about the meal shared with Azam on the night of his death.
When Naz explained she had prepared the curry while her mother made the samosas and a dessert for Azam, both were arrested on suspicion of murder. Naz describes the experience as horrific, yet she initially treated it lightly, joking with officers and believing it was a mistake that would soon be resolved.
The Harsh Reality and Personal Despair
Released pending investigations, Naz and her mother found themselves on the front page of local newspapers, with the community rumour mill intensifying. Raised to believe in the British justice system as the best in the world, Naz felt baffled and betrayed by the police actions.
Overwhelmed by the chaos, Naz attempted suicide by taking painkillers, a moment she describes as driven by desperation and a lack of faith. She ended up having her stomach pumped, a lifesaving but horrible procedure, and faced her mother's distress and reprimands.
Throughout this period, Naz and her mother never discussed the rumours or details of her relationship with Azam, as certain subjects were off-limits in their traditional parent-child dynamic.
The Trial and Verdict
On July 27, the police arrested Naz's mother alone after forensics revealed arsenic in the gajrela dessert she had prepared exclusively for Azam. Naz was cleared of suspicion, with traces of arsenic in her system likely due to cross-contamination.
Her mother was formally charged with murder and remanded. The trial took place at Leeds Crown Court in November 1993, where she was found guilty. Naz believed this was a monumental miscarriage of justice and vowed to fix it, though she did not fully grasp the severity of the verdict at the time.
Watching her mother diminish in court, Naz saw this as the most disastrous event for her family, only to learn in the following years that even greater challenges lay ahead.
This edited extract is from Naz Shah's memoir Honoured, published by Orion on March 5, offering a raw and honest look into a painful chapter of her life.
