Latest news with #Mukadam
The Citizen
20-05-2025
- The Citizen
Pakistan's top court upholds death penalty for man who beheaded girlfriend
The ruling by the Pakistan Supreme Court is seen as a victory for all women of Pakistan. Shah Khawar, the lawyer who argued for beheaded Noor Mukadam's case, speaks to media after Supreme Court's verdict in Islamabad on May 20, 2025. Picture: Aamir Qureshi / AFP Pakistan's Supreme Court upheld the death penalty on Tuesday for a man who beheaded his girlfriend in a case which prompted an explosive reaction from women's rights campaigners. Pakistani-American Zahir Jaffer, the son of a wealthy industrialist, attacked 27-year-old Noor Mukadam at his sprawling Islamabad mansion in 2021 after she refused his marriage proposal — torturing her with a knuckleduster and using a 'sharp-edged weapon' to behead her. 'This is a victory for all the women of Pakistan. It shows that our justice system can deliver justice and should give women more confidence in the legal process,' Shafaq Zaidi, a childhood friend of Mukadam, told AFP outside the court. 'This was our last resort, and it's hard to put into words what this outcome means to us.' Legal battles, mental health claims, and overturned convictions Jaffer, in his early thirties, was convicted of rape and murder in 2022, but his legal team appealed arguing that he was suffering from mental health issues. Justice Hashim Kakar on Tuesday upheld the death penalty for murder but commuted a death penalty for rape to life imprisonment. ALSO READ: Death penalty around the world Executions, however, have rarely been carried out in Pakistan in recent years. Mukadam, the 27-year-old daughter of a former ambassador, had made repeated attempts to escape the night she was killed, but was blocked by two members of Jaffer's household staff. The two staff members were convicted for abetting murder in 2022 but their conviction was overturned on Tuesday and the judge said they could be freed. Jaffer's parents, Zakir Jaffer and Asmat Adamjee, were found not guilty of attempting to cover up the crime in 2022. Deep-rooted sexism in the justice system The brutal nature of the murder, involving a couple from the privileged elite of Pakistani society, led to pressure for the trial to conclude swiftly in a country where the justice system is notoriously sluggish and cases typically drag on for years. ALSO READ: Man accused of gouging ex-girlfriend's eyes with screwdriver denied bail as Mchunu condemns incident According to the Asma Jahangir Legal Aid Cell, a group providing legal assistance to vulnerable women, the conviction rate for cases of violence against them is lower than three percent. Targets of sexual and domestic abuse are often too afraid to speak out, and criminal complaints frequently not investigated seriously. While families are often stigmatised if the behaviour of the victim is called into question. Throughout the trial, judges made demeaning comments about Mukadam for spending time alone with Jaffar when the pair were unmarried, with Justice Kakar on Tuesday adding that it was 'against our values'. 'Exhausting struggle for justice' Farzana Bari, a women rights activist who attended the hearing, said the comments imply 'that the man has some legitimate right to detain her, which is a harmful and regressive notion'. 'Such judicial attitudes contribute to a long and exhausting struggle for justice, often leading victims to lose hope and give up along the way.' NOW READ: Macpherson hands over 10 properties in Mpumalanga for GBV shelters
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Yahoo
Testimony: Officers concealed from Perkins before fatal shooting
Mar. 26—At the immunity hearing Tuesday that will decide if former Decatur police officer Mac Bailey Marquette is tried for murder, four witnesses testified, including an officer who acknowledged that police may initially have been hidden from Steve Perkins' view as he walked outside of his house the night his truck was repossessed and he allegedly threatened the tow truck driver. Every seat in Morgan County Circuit Judge Charles Elliott's courtroom was filled as supporters of both the Perkins and Marquette families packed the room. Steve Perkins' widow, Catrela, and his older brother, Nick, sat with the prosecution, while Marquette sat alongside his defense team. Morgan County District Attorney Scott Anderson and Assistant District Attorney Garrick Vickery represented the state. Marquette was represented by Liz Young and Brett Bloomston of Birmingham. The defense called as their first witness, Caleb Combs, the tow truck driver who attempted to repossess Perkins' white GMC Sierra truck after 1 a.m. on Sep. 29, 2023. "What happened during your first visit to the Perkins' residence?" Bloomston asked Combs. "I started to back up to the vehicle, and I heard the garage door open up," Combs replied. "I stopped to see what was going on and I noticed a man come from under the garage door with a pistol." Combs said Perkins told him to drop his "f***ing truck" and to get off his property. He said Perkins had a firearm aimed 6 or 8 inches from his chest. Next on the stand was Christopher Mukadam, one of the Decatur police officers with Marquette who was on scene at the Perkins residence. Mukadam testified that although what Perkins did by threatening Combs was considered menacing, Combs told them he did not want to press charges if Perkins would just surrender the truck. Bloomston asked Mukadam if he had ever responded to a vehicle repossession call in which the owner was hostile. "Back in July of that year, we responded to a call on Lafayette Street where the homeowner was acting hostile," Mukadam said. When asked if he was lawfully allowed to be there on Lafayette Street, Mukadam replied he was. Mukadam said he was only at Perkins' residence to "keep the peace." Anderson then questioned Mukadam and asked if he believed he was keeping the peace by showing up at Perkins' residence unannounced and they could have resolved the situation a different way. "It could have been handled differently, there's many different ways," Mukadam said. "But there was nothing wrong with standing by and watching because we were following all the training that we had." Anderson asked Mukadam why officers didn't simply knock on Perkins' door, to which Mukadam responded that it was a civil matter unrelated to them and that they were only there for the tow truck driver's protection. He then asked Mukadam if it was possible he and his fellow officers may have been hidden from Perkins' view. "You don't consider yourself as being hidden from Mr. Perkins?" Anderson said. "Uh — you could say that," Mukadam said, hesitating. "I'm asking you," Anderson replied. Mukadam said officers are trained at the police academy to use concealment in certain situations. "So, you agree with me now that you were concealed from Mr. Perkins," Anderson said. "Yes," Mukadam replied. Body camera footage from Mukadam and former officer Joey Williams was shown in the courtroom. Immediately after Perkins exited his house and confronted the tow truck driver, several shots could be heard from Marquette on the footage. Williams' footage was seen from the passenger side of Perkins' truck and Mukadam's footage was from across the street. Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Special Agent Jamie King testified, while describing slow-motion bodycam footage, that Perkins initially pointed his flashlight-equipped gun at Combs, then at Marquette, but raised his gun away from Marquette immediately before Marquette began shooting the first of what appeared to be 18 bullets. King also said the bullet in Perkins' gun was not chambered. Twice in the hearing, Elliott chastised both Perkins and Marquette supporters for unruly behavior. The second time, he threatened to clear the courtroom if they continued. After eight hours of evidence, arguments, and witness testimony from both the state and defense, Elliott announced the hearing would resume Wednesday morning. "I doubt, based on the evidence presented today, that I will have an order (Wednesday)," Elliott said. "I highly doubt that." He warned that if more unruly behavior from the Perkins and Marquette supporters continues Wednesday, they will be charged with disorderly conduct. "I will halt proceedings and those people will be taken into custody," Elliott said. — or 256-340-2442.
