Jealous Husband From Southall Guilty of Killing Wife

Agim Isaku strangled the mother of his children

A jealous husband from Southall who strangled his wife to death and phoned police has been convicted of manslaughter today.

Agim Isaku, 40 of Convent Way, was found guilty of the manslaughter of 33-year-old Elife Beqa following a 24 day-trial at the Old Bailey

The court heard how Elife Beqa, who was known to her friends as Eli, had started an innocent relationship with another man. Although this friendship was purely platonic, her husband found out and sought to control his wife.

Isaku began to monitor her phone and stopped her from accessing Facebook. He insisted she leave a job and became increasingly jealous.

On Thursday, 13 August at 1:12am the emergency police operator received a phone call.

When the male caller was asked why he had phoned police he replied: "I just, yeah I think my wife is dead so."

When the operator asked how she had died the caller replied: "Struggling together, struggling together, with each other,"

Isaku was immediately detained by officers, who then went into the flat where the couple lived.

In the bedroom they found Eli unconscious on the floor and the officers gave immediate first aid.

When asked what had happened Isaku told the officers, he had argued with his wife and said she had been holding a knife. He said she had tried to attack him and he then held her. When asked how, he demonstrated a headlock.

Officers did find a knife in the bedroom, but Isaku later admitted in court that he had taken the knife from the kitchen and put it in the room, after he had attacked his wife.

Eli was taken to hospital in a critical condition but died later that day.

A subsequent post-mortem examination gave cause of death as compression of the neck, the victim had also suffered other injuries to her back and arm.

Isaku was arrested at the scene for attempted murder and, following his wife's death, further arrested for murder.

When interviewed he declined to answer most of the questions that were put to him, telling the investigating officers he was confused and depressed. He did tell officers he had been married to the victim for 13 years and she was the mother of his two children.

He was charged with Eli's murder on Friday 14, August. He will be sentenced on Tuesday, 1 March.

Detective Inspector Louise Knipe of the Homicide and Major Crime Command, said: "This was a terrible crime that has taken the life of a young woman and robbed two young children of their mother. Eli told a friend she was planning on making her husband a cake for his birthday and she seems to have been working hard to make the marriage work.

"Despite Eli's efforts to make her husband happy, Isaku's unfounded jealously drove him to carry out a savage assault. He then tried to shift the blame for the violence on Eli, but the jury has seen through his lies and convicted him of murder.

"No one should live in fear and I would appeal to anyone who is living with domestic abuse, or knows someone who is, to contact police. We have specialist officers who are there to help and support victims and your call to police may save a life."

24th February 2016