Husband of pregnant mother appears in court charged with her murder

Tariq Khan, 26, stood expressionless in the secure dock at Bradford and Keighley Magistrates' Court as the charges against him were outlined.

Tall and bearded Khan, who was flanked by two burly security officers, was charged with murdering Nadia Khan, on June 14 this year, at 17, Holker Street, Manningham, Bradford.

He also faced a charge that he, with intent to destroy the life of a child capable of being born alive, by a wilful act, namely stabbing with a knife, caused the child to die before it had existed independently of its mother.

Khan faced a further charge of common assault, alleging he assaulted Nadia Khan by beating, on May 17 this year in Bradford.

RELATED STORIES

Khan, of Clarendon Court, Manningham, who was dressed in a grey roundneck T-shirt and casual dark trousers, stood, with his hands clasped, throughout the proceedings so they could be translated to him by an Urdu interpreter.

Nadia Khan

He agreed when asked if he understood why he was in court. Khan confirmed his name and date of birth. When asked to confirm Clarendon Court as his address, he replied through the interpreter: "That's my uncle's."

Friends and relatives of Nadia packed the court's public gallery for the brief five-minute hearing. Two detectives from West Yorkshire Police's Homicide and Major Enquiry Team were also present.

Prosecutor Linda Fowler asked the court to send all matters to the crown court.

Mrs Fowler said: "This court cannot make any decision on matters of bail, or otherwise. That matter needs to be before a crown court judge."

She said that custody time limits lasted until December 16.

Khan's solicitor, Alias Yousaf, said he had no objections and was content for his client to be remanded in custody on all matters.

MORE TOP STORIES

Chairman of the Bench, Younis Hussain, told Khan: "This court cannot make any decision, so now we are going to have your case sent to Bradford Crown Court for all offences, to be heard on Friday. You are remanded in custody until then."

The court heard Khan had been on conditional bail in connection with the assault matter, on conditions not to approach, interfere with or contact, directly or indirectly, Nadia Khan, except through a third party, and that he was not to enter Holker Street, or go within 100 metres of it.

Mrs Khan, who was around six month pregnant, was the mother of two children, five-year-old son Ameen, and three-year-old daughter Aleena. They are now being cared for at a relative's address, by Mrs Khan's younger sister, Anisa.

She was found dead when police and paramedics attended a modern terraced house in Holker Street, Manningham, at 4.45pm last Sunday, where Mrs Khan lived with her children, mother Shamim, sister Anisa, and brother Ishaq.

Anisa has said her sister was always smiling and was like a second mother to her.