MORE than a thousand mourners gathered for the funeral of a former Bradford woman found dead at a house in Derby last month.

Family and friends of Sobhia Khan, 37, broke down in tears as her body was brought out of the Jamia Masjid Hanfia mosque in Carlisle Road, Manningham, today.

Miss Khan had recently moved to Derby to live with her partner, Atual Mustafa.

She was found dead at the home they shared in Pear Tree Crescent, Normanton, on May 27.

Mustafa, 35, was arrested and charged over her death and has since appeared at Nottingham Crown Court accused of murder.

He is due to stand trial in December.

Large crowds came together to pray for Miss Khan on two floors of the mosque, with others gathered outside the Madrasah Hizab-Ul-Ahnaf opposite.

Miss Khan, who was working in Derby as a teaching assistant, previously worked at the Raising Explorers after-school club on Carlisle Road, and a number of her former colleagues were in attendance to pay their respects.

Children at the club who she used to care for had written a number of cards which were given to the family prior to the service.

One read: “Sobhia was a gem of a person.

“She was beautiful, kind, generous, loving words cannot do any justice.

“She was my friend and mentor.”

Another card read: “Sobhia was an amazing person.

“She always had a smile on her face.”

Another child had written: “Sobhia was the kindest in the whole planet. She will never be forgotten. I miss her so much.”

Miss Khan was one of five children, with two brothers and two sisters.

Her eldest brother, Javed Khan, said the family was “devastated” by her death.

He said the family wanted to thank those who had expressed their sympathies since his sister’s passing.

He said: “We would like to thank everyone who came, the family really appreciate it.

“I’d say there were several thousand people here, family, friends, former colleagues, and even some of the kids she used to teach.

“People have also come from afar.

“We knew it would be a big turnout, but not as big as it was.

“People came to pay their respects, and we would just like to thank them.”

His children, Miss Khan’s nieces, said of their aunt: “She used to live in the house with us.

“She helped to bring us up, helping with homework and stuff.

“She was loved. We all miss her.”

A flood of tributes were paid on social media in the aftermath of Miss Khan’s death, with one of her former colleagues at Raising Explorers calling her a “truly inspirational person”.

Despite having only lived there for a matter of weeks, residents living near her new home in Pear Tree Crescent described her as “beautiful” and the “perfect neighbour”.

At the opening of the inquest into her death on June 1, the coroner said a medical cause of death was “currently being awaited”, adding a review would take place on Friday, June 23.