death of shahid aziz killed by cellmate in leeds prison inquest ...

Parveen Mahmood, Shahid’s widow, said:“I want know if there is a link between the incident with the prison officer on 11March 2004 and Shahid’s murder and I hope that the many questions which I’ve hadfor over three years will finally be answered at the inquest – otherwise I will havebeen cheated of justice.”Deborah Coles co-director of INQUEST said;“The Prison Service must be properly scrutinised as to what lessons they learned afterthe brutal murder of Zahid Mubarek and whether individual and systemic failingscontributed to Shahid Aziz’s death.”Parveen Mahmood (the widow of Shahid Aziz), is represented by Leslie Thomas, instructedby Daniel Machover of Hickman and Rose solicitors (members of the INQUEST LawyersGroup). Other parties represented are the individual prison officers, the Home Office and amember of the Independent Monitoring Board.INQUEST is the only non-governmental organisation in England and Wales that worksdirectly with the families of those who die in custody. It provides an independent free legaland advice service to bereaved people on inquest procedures and their rights in the coroner’scourts.Further Informationwww.inquest.org.ukINQUESToffice 020 7263 1111Deborah Coles, Co-directorDaniel Machover, Hickman & Rose Solicitors office 020 7700 2211Homicides in Prison 2000 to dateName Date Of Death Establishment AgeUnknown 12/03/2007 HMP Birmingham 53Patrick Butler 17/11/2005 HMP Risley 41Sydney Noble 16/09/2005 HMP Full Sutton 79Wayne Reid 13/04/2005 HMP Rye Hill 44Frank Bexson 09/10/2004 HMP Leicester 64Shahid Aziz 02/04/2004 HMP Leeds 25Anthony Hesketh 16/09/2003 HMP Manchester 37Roy Merry 18/05/2001 HMP Pentonville 58Paul Mason 10/10/2000 HMP Birmingham 21Colin Bloomfield 02/04/2000 HMP Cardiff 35Zahid Mubarek 28/03/2000 HMYOI Feltham 19Source: INQUEST Casework and monitoringNote for Editors2

Peter McCann is serving a life sentence for murder. He was sentenced on the basis of his guilty plea and thefacts as he presented them rather than any finding, either way, as to exactly what occurred in the cell on themorning of 2 April 2004. The account given by Peter McCann as to the circumstances of the murder, when hewas interviewed by the representatives of the Prisons Ombudsman just a few days after the incident, and whichwas referred to in open court at the sentencing hearings at Bradford Crown Court in July 2004, are that:-• Shahid Aziz and Peter McCann had never met previously.• They had both been moved from the induction (D) wing to A wing at HMP Leeds on the morning of2 April 2004.• That Peter McCann had not wanted to take part in cleaning the cell that he had been moved intowith Shahid Aziz. He left the cleaning to one of the wing cleaners, another Asian inmate, and MrAziz.• That when the cell door was closed after the cell was cleaned Peter McCann had an argument withShahid Aziz, which was at least in part caused by the fact that Shahid Aziz and the Asian cleanerhad spoken together in a foreign language, which had upset Mr McCann.• Peter McCann stated that as they got into a fight Shahid Aziz produced a weapon and that PeterMcCann was able to get the weapon from Shahid Aziz, after which he used the weapon to slash thethroat of Shahid Aziz.• After slashing the throat of Shahid Aziz he then pulled him around the cell by his “Alla beads” andthen struck him about the head with an object.The family of Shahid Aziz dispute that Shahid Aziz ever produced a weapon of any kind and has been able topoint to the post mortem report and the injuries he suffered, the complete lack of any injury to Peter McCannand the known history of Peter McCann, particularly inside prison, but also outside prison, in relation to thecarrying of bladed articles, and fights with other prisoners.3