Jealous lover jailed for life after ‘brutally’ murdering her sister so she could steal husband

A scorned woman has been jailed for a minimum of 22 years after she killed her own sister in a ferocious knife attack in a bid to win back the affections of her brother-in-law.

Carer Sabah Khan, 27, had been having sex with Hefeez Rehman, husband of her older sister Saima Khan, 34, who she was living with in Luton, Bedfordshire.

But when Mr Rehman returned to the mother of his four children, Khan became bitterly jealous.

She searched the internet for how to get away with murder and paid a “black magic priest” in Pakistan £5,000 to do the deed by “remote control”, the Old Bailey heard.

The carer bought a large kitchen knife from Tesco and, on May 23 last year, lured her sister home from a family funeral, saying one of her children was crying.

She donned gloves and black clothes and, as Saima returned, she switched off the lights and carried out a “vicious and sustained” attack in the hallway, with the children upstairs.

Over eight minutes, she inflicted 68 sites of injury to the head and body, slicing through her hand and neck, the court heard.

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It was a scene of “absolute carnage” and Khan carried on stabbing her sister, even after she was dead, Judge Christopher Moss QC said.

Khan went on to stage the scene of a burglary before calling her father and 999, claiming she was in the shower when her sister was attacked by an intruder.

The defendant stuffed her bloodied clothes, gloves and murder weapon into a bin bag which was later found in a bedroom at the Overstone Road house.

She went on to claim to police she had overheard a phone call between her sister and a lover who threatened to harm her.

Khan pleaded guilty to murder and was jailed for life by Judge Christopher Moss QC.

Prosecutor Jane Bickerstaff QC told how WhatsApp messages revealed Khan’s bitterness as Mr Rehman’s interest in her waned.

She referred to her sister as “that b**ch”, and told Mr Rehman: “If I could I would take my heart out and show you what you are for me.

“Nothing in the world can change my feelings for you. Not even you … Day by day my love for you gets stronger.”

Ms Bickerstaff said: “From February, all was not well with Hefeez Rehman and his affection appears to have been transferred back to his wife.”

Around this time Khan searched the internet for “poisonous snakes” “how to hire a killer” and “16 steps to kill someone and not get caught”.

She was also in frequent communication with a “fixer” in Pakistan and handed him over £5,000 to have her sister “finished off” and “done in”.

Mr Rehman was not in court but said in a statement that he felt “complete shame” over the affair, adding: “I never imagined anything like this would ever happen. Sabah’s actions have left our four children without a mum.

Mitigating, Jo Sidhu QC said: “This defendant, for the rest of her natural life, will live with what she has done.”

Mr Rehman was 10 years Khan’s senior and had taken advantage of the opportunity to sleep with both siblings and gain “exclusive rights” over his sister-in-law, the lawyer said.

The husband also admitted that during his marriage he had sex with another woman in his cab, on a visit to Pakistan, and paid prostitutes.

Detective Chief Inspector Adam Gallop, of Bedfordshire Police, said: “This was a brutal act of jealousy. It was not a case of honour killing, nor was this the burglary that Sabah Khan tried so hard to create.

“Sabah wanted her sister’s life. She wanted her children and her husband. Hearing the news that they were planning to leave the family home together was the final straw and she took her sister’s life in a bitter envy.”

He added: “I am pleased that the sentence reflects the pre-meditated actions that cut short a young woman’s life and deprived four young children of growing up with their mother.”