Aylesbury murder trial latest: Police criticised over ‘unfair’ interviews with ‘loving’ husband
A TAXI driver accused of killing his wife told police he loved her ‘very much’ when spoken to immediately after her death, a court has heard.
Jurors were also told that Mohammed Tariq Aziz had been in shock and appeared ‘not with it’ in the hours after Zarina Bibi, 40, was killed.
But police were criticised for the way Mr Aziz was interviewed after he was taken to Aylesbury Police Station for a ‘debrief’.
Jurors heard a PCSO was summoned from Milton Keynes to act as an interpreter, but could not find a common language both were fluent in.
For this reason, Mr Aziz, 45, answered questions in a mish-mash of Urdu, English and Gujurati, with the answers recorded by Det Con Gemma Robinson.
Det Con Robinson told the court that Mr Aziz said he ‘loved her (Mrs Bibi) very much’, that he did not hit her, and had ‘no arguments’.
He was also happy for his car to be searched.
She added that he seemed ‘not with it’, sitting with his eyes closed and head down.
Defending, Mohammed Khamisa, said that the interview should have been recorded, and said: “You were asking the questions, which is then being translated in a language that he doesn’t understand.
“He then answers the questions in a language which the translator doesn’t understand, and then it was relayed to you.”
Det Con Robinson responded: “Yes.”
Mr Khamisa continued: “Doesn’t that strike you as a little unfair?”
Det Con Robinson said: “If we were looking at him as a suspect at the time, then yes. But we were trying to establish medical evidence.”
During the hour-long briefing session, which was held immediately after Mr Aziz was informed of his wife’s death, the taxi driver recounted his actions on the day.
He said he had gone to his brother-in-law’s house in Prebendal Avenue at around 1pm, before speaking to his boss at Sky Time Cabs.
He had then worked on a school run from 2pm with a passenger assistant, before picking up another colleague at around 4pm, to do more contract work.
Mr Aziz was informed of his wife’s death at around 4.30pm, he told police, when his colleague received a call on her mobile phone.
The police officer conceded that there was ‘room for error’ within Mr Aziz’s responses, as was written down.
Mr Aziz denies murder.
The trial continues.
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Thursday 24 May 2012
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