The family of a woman who was pushed off Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh by her husband, killing her and her unborn child, said today they will never get over the tragedy.
Fawziyah Javed's family spoke as husband Kashif Anwar was taken away from court to begin his life sentence at a Scottish prison.
Jurors wept as judge Lord Beckett told Anwar he’d have to serve a minimum of 20 years in jail before he’d be eligible for parole. The clerk of court distributed paper tissues to upset jurors who were crying as the judge told of how pregnant Fawziyah was killed by her husband.
Anwar was found guilty by a jury of killing Fawziyah, 31, after shoving her from the hill in September 2021. Fawziyah suffered multiple blunt force injuries which ultimately led to her death, and that of her unborn child.
Anwar, from Leeds in West Yorkshire, denied the charge but after a week-long murder trial a jury found him guilty.
Speaking after the case, Natasha Rattu, the executive director of domestic abuse charity Karma Nirvana said on behalf of Fawziyah’s family that they would be "left in the depths of darkness forever".
Ms Rattu said: “There are no words that can truly describe the depth of our pain and grief. The pain and grief is immeasurable and on an unimaginable scale.
“To say we are going through the most tortuous time doesn’t even touch the surface.
“Fawziyah has left the biggest void in our lives. The spark has gone out of our lives forever. “There is no more joy and the zest for life has gone. We’ve been left in the depths of darkness forever to suffer this life long loss.”
Speaking to Fawziyah, Ms Rattu said: “We miss and think about you every second of the day. We are not living anymore. We are just existing and taking each second, minute, hour and day at a time.
“Fawziyah really was a gift to mankind. She was the perfect daughter, granddaughter niece, a friend and a mother to be - a successful lawyer who had the whole of her life ahead of her.
“Fawziyah was the centre of our world, our heartbeat. We lived and breathed for Fawziyah- she was the glue that held this family together.
“We will never forget September 4, 2021. It was Fawziyah’s birthday and it was the day that members of our family went to Edinburgh to identify her body.
“This is a lifetime of grief and pain. Our life sentence began the day our daughter was brutally murdered.”
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