US woman accused of murder plot claims she flew to UK for birthday celebrations
Aimee Betro, 45, is alleged to have flown from Wisconsin as part of a plot orchestrated by co-conspirators Mohammed Aslam, 56, and Mohammed Nabil Nazir, 31, of Elms Avenue in Derby, to attack a rival family on September 7, 2019.
A trial has heard allegations that Betro disguised her appearance with a niqab when she tried to shoot Sikander Ali at point blank range outside his home in Measham Grove, Birmingham, but the gun jammed, allowing Mr Ali to flee.
Giving evidence in her defence on Monday, Betro, from Wisconsin, told Birmingham Crown Court she had slept with Nazir at an Airbnb during a visit to the UK spanning December 2018 and January 2019.
Betro, who denies conspiracy to murder, possessing a self-loading pistol and a charge of fraudulently evading the prohibition on importing ammunition, said she did not meet Nazir – who she 'had feelings for' – during a second visit to the UK in May 2019.
In her evidence, Betro said the first two visits had seen her doing 'touristy' things such as attending music events, viewing street art in east London, visiting a friend in Birmingham and taking care of a dog 'at someone's house in the middle of England'.
Asked why she had paid a third visit to the UK, arriving at Manchester Airport from Atlanta around two weeks before the shooting, Betro told jurors: 'To celebrate my birthday and I won tickets for another boat party in London.
'And there was another little festival that was at Crystal Palace that I wanted to go to.'
Betro's barrister, Paul Lewis KC, asked her what she thought of Nazir after meeting him on a dating app, communicating with him via Snapchat and meeting him in London.
Betro answered: 'He was charming and I did like him. He was sweet and I did have feelings for him.'
She told the court 'I would guess so' when asked if she thought Nazir had feelings for her, but added that she was not trying to build a relationship with him because they lived in different countries.
Standing up in the witness box, Betro, wearing a casual round-necked navy blue top and square-rimmed glasses, began her evidence by giving personal details, including her height as being 5ft 5ins.
During her evidence, Betro was asked about messages between her and Nazir which referred to a gun broker website and a silencer.
She said she did not remember the message referring to a broker, but told the court she had posted 'gaming things' relating to an an old gaming system.
She also told the court she had lived at an address in West Allis, Winsconsin, from 2013 to 2019 and had 'a couple of different degrees' in early childhood education and graphic design.
The Crown alleges that Betro returned to the scene hours after the shooting and fired three shots into Mr Ali's house, which was empty at the time, before leaving the UK and flying back to the US the next day.
The court heard father and son Aslam and Nazir, who were jailed last year for their part in the bungled assassination plot, were involved in a feud with Mr Ali's father, Aslat Mahumad.
Nazir and Aslam had been injured during disorder at Mr Mahumad's clothing boutique in Birmingham in July 2018, jurors have been told, leading them to conspire to have someone kill him or a member of his family.
The trial continues.
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