Thug battered victim with hammer and slit his throat
Trio convicted after dad dies in‘brutal and merciless’attack
WiLMa RiLeY
A vicious thug brutally murdered a father-of-five by smashing him over the head with a hammer 100 times and cutting his throat 16 times.
Muhammed Rauf, 42, conspired with his wife and the victim’s wife to kill 49-year-old security guard Haider Hayat.
Rauf, Shahida Abid, 33, and her best friend Saima Hayat, 34, were last week convicted of murder at the High Court in Glasgow.
The couple – failed asylum seekers – and scheming Hayat, killed Haider at a flat in Raithburn Road, Castlemilk, on April 3 last year.
The jury heard a recording of the sickening attack – made by a neighbour – which lasted for at least five minutes.
They also saw CCTV footage from inside the flat shortly before the murder showing Abid making a cut-throat gesture and Hayat a stabbing motion to her eyes and to her stomach.
Prosecutor Richard Goddard QC told the High Court: “This clearly showed what they were planning.”
However, the CCTV, which covered every room in the Hayats’ flat, was switched off shortly before the murder.
The killers claimed in court that the victim had tied up the women and eight children in the house and injected them with chemicals and that Rauf saved them by killing Haider.
However, tests carried out at hospital on Abid, Hayat and the youngsters found nothing wrong with any of them.
Abid and Hayat were also convicted of attempting to defeat the ends of justice last week. The three murderers were all first offenders. Judge Lady Rae told them: “It is difficult to find the words. This was clearly a premeditated and planned killing of an innocent man. You attempted to blacken his character.
“This was a brutal and merciless attack and you are all guilty because you were involved in the planning of it. I have detected no remorse from any of you.”
All three are facing life sentences and the case was deferred until next month for reports. The court heard how Hayat and Haider had been on a family holiday in Blackpool and returned to Castlemilk just hours before he was killed.
Their downstairs neighbour Shannara Fraser, 30, was woken by noise at 3am and recorded Haider being murdered.
Thuds could be heard on the tape and Shannara said: “It sounds like air is being forced out his lungs.”
Police were not called until 5am when the accused spun their lies about the women and children being in danger.
Pathologist Dr Marjorie Turner said that the cause of Haider’s death was blunt force injury.
She added: “There was in the region of at least 100 blows delivered to his head and neck.”
Haider suffered multiple fractures to his skull, as well as a broken jaw and cheekbone. There were 16 cuts to his throat.
Goddard asked Dr Turner: “What degree of force would be needed to inflict these injuries?”
She replied: “There has been considerable force.”
In evidence, Rauf claimed he attacked Haider because he made remarks about his wife and mother. Neither Abid nor Hayat gave evidence.
All three showed no emotion as they were led away to the cells.
Following the convictions, Detective Inspector Steven Watson said: “Haider was viciously attacked and suffered a sickening and violent death at the hands of Rauf, Abid and Hayat.
“I welcome the verdict which may go some way to giving comfort to Haider’s family and my thoughts have remained with them throughout this incredibly difficult time.”