Who is Banaz Mahmod’s mother and where is she now?
THE investigation following the murder of Banaz Mahmod centred around her monstrous father and her uncle.
However, very little is known about her mother, Behya, who was all too aware of her husband's evil plans for their daughter.
Who is Behya Mahmod?
Behya Mahmod is the mother of Banaz Mahmod.
20 year old Banaz was raped, then strangled to death with the help of her own family, simply because she had walked away from an abusive arranged marriage.
Whilst Banaz's father and uncle played a central role in her murder, her mother Behya kept out of the investigation and the subsequent court case.
How was she inolved in Banaz Mahmod's death?
Unlike her husband, Behya Mahmod was never implicated in her her daughter Banaz's murder.
However, she was told of her husband and his brother's plan to murder her daughter.
She secretly told her daughter of the plot, and so Banaz went to the police with a letter naming the people who posed a threat to her life.
However, Banaz’s mother didn’t appear as a witness and investigating officers believed that she could have done more to help her daughter.
It has also been alleged that she had offered to help cover her husband's tracks.
DCI Caroline Goode, who was in charge of the case said: “Evidence was heard that Banaz’s mother had offered to get false alibi statements for her husband.”
Where is she now?
Bekhal, Banaz's sister says she has no contact with her mother Behya, and fears that there are still people who want to harm her.
It is known that both Bekhal and Banaz's former boyfriend were given secret addresses and new identities under police protection, and it is possible the same has happened to Behya.
She ran away aged 16, instead of consenting to an arranged marriage to a cousin in Iraq.
She told the : "My life will always be at risk,"
"There are people in my community who want to see me dead, and they will not rest until I am. I will never be safe. I wear the veil so no one can recognise me."