British police 'let down' honour killing victim

Two British police forces failed a young Kurdish woman who was tortured, raped and murdered in an honour killing plotted by her family, the police watchdog concluded on Wednesday.

Investigations by the police in England's West Midlands and Scotland Yard in London let down Banaz Mahmod after not taking seriously death threats against her, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said.

The 20-year-old was raped and garrotted during an ordeal lasting more than 2-1/2 hours at her family home in south London last year after falling in love with a man her family thought was unsuitable. Her body was later found in a suitcase beneath a house in Birmingham, central England. Members of her family and several family friends had plotted her murder.

Her father Mahmod Mahmod, 52, and her uncle Ari Mahmod, 51, were jailed for life last July after being found guilty of murder. A third man, Mohamad Hama, 31, pleaded guilty to murder and will spend at least 17 years in jail.

Banaz had told police four times she feared for her life after falling in love with a man of whom her family disapproved, but her claims were not taken seriously, the court heard.

The IPCC criticised the forces over their response. It also said the investigations were plagued by delays, poor supervision and a "lack of understanding and insensitivity".

The IPCC recommended the forces review their internal policies, particularly relating to sexual offences and retrain officers to better handle domestic and honour-based violence.

"Banaz Mahmod was a young woman who lost her life in terrible circumstances," IPCC Commissioner Nicole Williams said in a statement, calling the death tragic.

"It is clear that the police response was at best mixed."

The court had heard how the woman angered her family after walking out of an abusive arranged marriage entered aged 17.

She later fell in love with an Iranian Kurd, Rahmat Suleimani, 28, meeting him in secret and swapping messages several times a day.

The IPCC investigation criticised seven Metropolitan police officers with two - a constable and an inspector - now facing disciplinary action.

Three West Midlands officers are also criticised in the IPCC report and will receive written warnings.