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Honour on ITV – More information about Caroline Goode

Photo credit: ITV
Photo credit: ITV

From Digital Spy

Note: Contains material that some people may find disturbing, including details of the case not covered till later episodes.

ITV's Honour tackles the tragic story of Banaz Mahmod, a 20-year-old British-Iraqi-Kurdish woman from Mitcham, south London who was murdered on the orders of her family.

They disapproved of her relationship with her boyfriend Rahmat Sulemani, who she met after fleeing a physically and sexually abusive arranged marriage.

He sadly took his own life ten years after the death of Banaz.

She was raped and strangled before being stuffed into a suitcase and buried beneath a patio in a garden in Birmingham in 2006.

Photo credit: YouTube
Photo credit: YouTube

Her father Mahmod Mahmod and her uncle Ari Mahmod were jailed for a minimum of 23 and 20 years respectively in 2007 for the killing of Banaz.

Mohammad Hama, who carried out the murder with the pair, was sentenced to a minimum of 17 years in prison.

Her cousins Mohammed Saleh Ali and Omar Hussain fled to Iraq, but were extradited back to the UK and jailed for a minimum of 22 and 21 years respectively in 2010.

They were the first Iraqi citizens to ever to be handed over to Britain.

Photo credit: CARL DE SOUZA - Getty Images
Photo credit: CARL DE SOUZA - Getty Images

Banaz sought help from the police on at least five separate occasions, but was repeatedly dismissed, despite supplying the authorities with a list of the five people she believed were trying to harm her.

Detective Chief Inspector Caroline Goode, who is played by Keeley Hawes in the ITV series, was later assigned to the case.

She was awarded the Queen's Police Medal for distinguished service in the 2011 New Year's Honours List.

Photo credit: YouTube
Photo credit: YouTube

"It was an incredibly complex and very challenging investigation, not least because there were upward of 50 people involved in it, either in the murder itself, or subsequently to pervert the course of justice," said Goode (via HuffPost UK).

"It was rewarding because it was so challenging in the first place.

"But a lot of the things that drive us forward is to get a result for the family – to achieve some measure of justice and closure for a victim's family.

"And in this case it was actually her family that had murdered her, so that's quite an unusual thing, but that drove us on, particularly to get a good result for Banaz."

She also praised her "fantastic team" for their contribution.

Photo credit: ITV
Photo credit: ITV

Following the Banaz case, Caroline trained thousands of police officers both in the UK and further afield in "honour"-based violence awareness.

She retired from the Metropolitan Police after 33 years. She finished her time there in the Counter Terrorism Command and now works as the Director of Operational Security at BAE Systems, according to LinkedIn.

She appeared on Banaz: A Love Story in 2021, a TV documentary about the killing of Banaz. She also featured in an episode of ITV Exposure, titled 'Banaz: An Honour Killing', in the same year, a shorter version of A Love Story.

Her book, Honour: Achieving Justice for Banaz Mahmod, was published in March this year, and she was a consultant on the ITV drama.

She is also a public speaker.


If you've been affected by the issues raised in this feature, a number of organisations may be able to offer help and support. In an emergency, call 999:

  • IKWRO (Iranian and Kurdish Women’s Rights Organisation) aims to protect Middle Eastern and Afghan women and girls who are at risk of ‘honour’-based violence, forced marriage, child marriage, female genital mutilation and domestic violence.

  • The NHS website has information about FGM, and if you're concerned that someone may be at risk, call the NSPCC helpline on 0800 028 3550 or fgmhelp@nspcc.org.uk.

  • If you're trying to stop a forced marriage or you need help leaving a forced marriage, call the Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) on 0207 008 0151 or email fmu@fcdo.gov.uk.

  • The National Rape Crisis Helpline is 0808 802 9999, and Rape Crisis Scotland's helpline is 08088 01 03 02.

  • The National Domestic Violence Helpline, run in partnership between Refuge and Women's Aid, is free and open 24/7. Call 0808 2000 247.

  • Ashiana offers help, support and guidance to women in need from Asian, Turkish and Iranian communities. Services include specialist advice and advocacy and confidential, one-to-one counselling.

  • Samaritans (116 123, www.samaritans.org) and Mind (0300 123 3393, www.mind.org.uk) can provide support on a variety of mental health matters.



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