According to court testimony, the wife of a man accused of murdering her at a popular Edinburgh site died from complications arising from multiple injuries sustained in a fall.
Fawziyah Javed, 31, who was pregnant at the time, was allegedly assaulted and killed by her husband, Kashif Anwar, 29, at Holyrood Park's Arthur's Seat on September 2, 2021.
The prosecution claims that Anwar pushed Javed, causing her to fall and suffer numerous blunt-force trauma injuries that resulted in her death, as well as the death of their unborn child.
The prosecution alleges that he pushed her from a height, causing her to fall. According to the charge, Anwar's actions amount to murder.
Anwar faces an additional charge of exhibiting threatening or abusive conduct towards his current or former partner at the Residence Inn by Marriott at Quartermile in Edinburgh a day before the alleged murder.
Anwar has denied both accusations.
According to the evidence presented and accepted by the High Court in Edinburgh, the couple started a relationship in 2019 and got married in December 2020.
The post-mortem examination revealed that Javed's death was caused by complications arising from multiple injuries from the fall.
The court also heard that the couple had booked a four-night stay at the Residence Inn in Edinburgh. They arrived at the Residence Inn by Marriott on August 31, 2021, and checked into room 108 at Simpson Loan in Edinburgh.
Their reservation was scheduled to end on September 4.
Once the charges were presented, jurors were given a notification that the prosecution may present evidence of purported incidents that occurred in England before the death.
As per the notification, Anwar is alleged to have engaged in abusive behavior towards Javed between April 2020 and August 2021 at various locations in England, including Leeds.
The accusations include verbal abuse, preventing her from communicating with family and friends, as well as monitoring and controlling her movements.
Furthermore, Anwar is said to have threatened Javed that he would prevent her from seeking a divorce, threatened her with violence should she involve law enforcement and declared that he would not grant her permission to remarry.
During the trial, it was revealed that Anwar threatened to ruin Javed's life if she ended their relationship between April 29 and May 1, 2021.
The couple started dating in August 2019 and got engaged by July 2020, eventually marrying in December of the same year.
Additionally, the Crown disclosed its intention to present evidence that during a specific timeframe between March 11 and 14, 2021, Anwar physically assaulted his wife at a house on Galloway Lane in Leeds.
The accusations include smothering Javed's face with a pillow, causing her breathing to be restricted, and repeatedly hitting her head.
Also, during the same period at a cemetery in Pudsey, Leeds, Anwar allegedly threatened violence towards Javed's parents if she ended their relationship. It was claimed that he also grabbed her body, causing her to fall to the ground and hit her head, resulting in her losing consciousness.
The judge, Lord Beckett, informed the jurors that the trial was being recorded for documentary purposes but emphasised that it would not affect the trial's proceedings. The trial is ongoing.
He also informed the jury that the trial is anticipated to conclude by April 14. However, he reserved April 19 as a backup date in case more time is necessary to complete the proceedings.
Damian Talbot