Two deny murder of family-row teenage mother

Student Laura Wilson, 17, was probably still alive when she was pushed into the water a pathologist said, and may even have been held under the surface with a knife until she died.

Sheffield Crown Court heard Laura had a fling with married neighbour Ishaq Hussain, 22, and gave birth to their daughter last June, although he failed to acknowledge the child.

Nicholas Campbell QC, prosecuting, said this led to friction which ended last October when Laura went to Hussain’s home and told his family he was the father of the child.

Hussain and his friend Ashtiaq Asghar, 18, who had also had an affair with Laura and had continued an on-off relationship with her, then sent a flurry of texts to one another.

Mr Campbell said they adopted the language of the cult British black comedy Four Lions, which is about would-be Islamic terrorists, and mounted a “mission to kill Laura Wilson”.

Asghar sent texts to the friend using words to the effect of “I’m going to kill Laura”, said Mr Campbell. “She was a loose cannon and they had to get rid of her,” he said.

Hussain, of Ferham Road, Rotherham, and Asghar, also from Rotherham, deny murdering Laura between October 8 and October 11 last year.

Mr Campbell told the jury: “The two defendants are jointly responsible for her murder.”

Pathologist Dr Alfredo Walker said the victim had been stabbed and had entered the water still breathing and bleeding. She had then inhaled water and drowned.

He believed a knife had been used to push her back into the water while she was struggling to get out. He gave the cause of death as drowning and multiple stab wounds.

The murder weapon, believed to be a straight-edged knife, has never been found. Mr Campbell said Laura was murdered after being lured to the canal alone.

After the alleged murder, the prosecution say Asghar and Hussain went to a club and Asghar told a friend: “I am going to be famous. I have done something.”

The court heard that Laura and her elder sister Sarah had argued with Hussain over his responsibilties for her baby, and his fathering of another child with another white woman.

He had taken exception to this and claimed he was not the father of her baby and blamed Asghar, whom Laura had said she was “in love” with.

Hussain later told police his family knew about his child with the other woman but he was trying to keep the existence of Laura’s baby a secret.

Mr Campbell said Laura then took matters in to her own hands and went to see the Asghar and Hussain families to tell all.

Laura told Asghar’s mother she loved her son and “wanted to have babies” by him but the mother became angry and hit Laura with a shoe.

She said he would never have a baby with a white girl. Laura then saw Hussain’s family and told them she had given birth to his baby.

“Her actions that night brought the truth to both of their front doors,” said Mr Campbell.

After that Hussain and Asghar spent more and more time together. Texts recovered later showed they even talked about getting a gun.

In the language of the film Asghar said: “I will make a show and make some beans on toast”.

This was a reference to the carnage after a bomb blast, said Mr Campbell. He added it was clear the references referred to the “mission” to kill Laura.

The hearing continues.