Southall Man Jailed For Ten Years For Killing Wife

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Jealous husband Agim Isaku strangled the mother of his children

A jealous husband from Southall who strangled his wife has been jailed for ten years.

Agim Isaku, 40 of Convent Way, was found guilty of the manslaughter of 33-year-old Elife Beqa on Wednesday, 24 February following a 24-day trial at the Old Bailey.

He was sentenced at the same court today, Tuesday, 1 March to ten years, six months' imprisonment.

The court heard how Elife Beqa, who was known to her friends as Eli, had started an innocent relationship with another man. Although this friendship was purely platonic, her husband found out and sought to control his wife. Isaku began to monitor her phone and stopped her from accessing Facebook. He insisted she leave a job she seemed to enjoy and became increasingly jealous.

On Thursday, 13 August 2015 at 01:12hrs the emergency police operator received a phone call.

When the male caller was asked why he had phoned police he replied: "I just, yeah I think my wife is dead so."

When the operator asked how she had died the caller replied: "Struggling together, struggling together, with each other."

Officers went to the scene in Convent Way, where Isaku was waiting for them. He was immediately detained. In the bedroom officers found Eli unconscious on the floor.

When asked what had happened Isaku told the officers, he had argued with his wife and said she had been holding a knife. He said she had tried to attack him and he then held her. When asked how, he demonstrated a headlock.

Officers did find a knife in the bedroom, but Isaku later admitted in court that he had taken the knife from the kitchen and put it in the room, after he had attacked his wife.

Eli was taken to hospital in a critical condition but died later that day.

A subsequent post-mortem examination gave cause of death as compression of the neck - the victim had also suffered other injuries to her back and arm.

Isaku was arrested at the scene for attempted murder and, following his wife's death, further arrested for murder.

When interviewed he declined to answer most of the questions that were put to him, telling the investigating officers he was confused and depressed. He did tell officers he had been married to the victim for 13 years and she was the mother of his two children.

He was charged with Eli's murder on Friday 14, August.

Detective Inspector Louise Knipe of the Homicide and Major Crime Command, said: "This was a terrible crime that has taken the life of a young woman and robbed two young children of their mother. Eli told a friend she was she was planning on making her husband a cake for his birthday and she seems to have been working hard to make the marriage work.

"Despite Eli's efforts to make her husband happy, Isaku's unfounded jealously drove him to carry out a savage assault. He then tried to shift the blame for the violence on Eli, but the jury has seen through his lies and convicted him of manslaughter.

"No one should live in fear and I would appeal to anyone who is living with domestic abuse, or knows someone who is, to contact police. We have specialist officers who are there to help and support victims and your call to police may save a life."

 

1st March 2016