A COUSIN of wife killer Danish Irfan is facing a custodial sentence after admitting helping him to flee the country.

Nouman Qureshi, 33, today pleaded guilty at Bradford Crown Court to conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

He admitted conspiring with Danish Irfan, between November 2 and November 5, 2013, to do an act to help him flee the country and avoid lawful arrest.

When the charge was put to him, smartly-dressed Qureshi raised his right hand in the air and replied: "Guilty."

Irfan fled to Pakistan the day after murdering his 21-year-old wife, Ridda Zanab, at their home in Alford Terrace, Lidget Green, Bradford, on Sunday, November 3, 2013.

Irfan, 22, was convicted of the murder of his wife, who had been having an affair, and sentenced to life imprisonment last year, after he voluntarily returned to the UK.

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The killer fled to London after the killing and then flew from Heathrow Airport to Pakistan on a false passport.

The prosecution alleged that Qureshi, who lived in Halifax and worked in Bradford, was the man Irfan first turned to for help because he thought he would know what to do to get him out of the country. They claimed Qureshi was in overall charge of that.

Qureshi's barrister, Nick Worsley, told the court today that his client was pleading guilty on a basis but that could not be accepted because there was to be a trial of three other defendants and the prosecution did not fully accept the basis.

Mr Worsley asked Judge Peter Benson to adjourn sentencing of his client and review matters at the end of the trial.

Asking for Qureshi's bail to be renewed, Mr Worsley added: "He is a married man and knows he faces a period of custody. He is a man of previous good character and there is much to be said about him."

He asked for a pre sentence report.

Judge Benson agreed to grant bail to Qureshi, on condition that he resides at an address in Duchywood, Heaton, Bradford.

The judge told him: "You have pleaded guilty to this offence which is a serious matter.

"You must expect a sentence of custody. Before I fix the length of that sentence I would be helped by a pre sentence report.

"I will adjourn sentence on you to a date to be fixed. I will fix it at the conclusion of the trial and ask the probation service to prepare a report."

Muhammed Qureshi, 39, of Pembroke Avenue, Luton, Bedfordshire; Faisal Chaudhary, 34, of Grantham Road, Ilford, Essex; and Javaid Awan, 33, of Blackburn Road, Ilford, all plead not guilty to conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. Their trial is due to begin tomorrow.