A double murderer has been jailed for life today for the brutal killing of two men in his home.

Mohammed Zubair was told he will serve 32 years behind bars by Judge Rodney Jameson QC at Bradford Crown Court.

The 36-year-old killed his wife’s lover, Amhedin Khyel, and Mr Khyel’s friend, Imran Khan, in the living room of his house in Heath Terrace, Barkerend, Bradford, in May 2011.

He then dumped the bodies before fleeing to Pakistan to evade justice.

During the trial, his crime was described as a ‘calculated, cold-blooded murder’.

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The jury was told how Zubair became enraged when he saw Mr Khyel in his living room on the evening of May 10, 2011.

He had discovered that his wife, Kainaat Bibi, had been having an affair with the 35-year-old Afghan electrician, who lived in London with his wife and seven children.

Mr Khan, a 27-year-old labourer, of Gloucester Avenue, Fagley, Bradford, had gone to the house expecting a cup of tea and both visitors had removed their shoes as a mark of respect.

After beating the men to death on the settee with a hammer or a dumb bell bar, Zubair put the bodies in his Volkswagen Transporter cab and dumped them late at night in secluded New Lane near Tong village where the grim discovery was made by two passing motorists in the early hours of the following morning.

Prosecutor Tahir Khan QC described Zubair’s attack on the two men as "ferocious and brutal".

They suffered fractures to their skulls that drove bone fragments into their brains and resulted in parts of the brain being pushed out of their skulls.

Mr Khyel suffered at least six blows to the head, some after he had been knocked out, and his friend tried to defend himself while the blows were raining down on him.

Intensive efforts were made to clean up the living room and Zubair’s cab but DNA evidence revealed that the men’s blood had been wiped from the walls, ceiling and furniture of the room and the inside of the vehicle.

Zubair flew to Pakistan the following day after his mother, Arab Sultana, booked and paid for his tickets.

Five years ago, while Zubair was on the run, his friend and fellow minicab driver, Sabir Hussain, was jailed for ten years after he was convicted by a Bradford Crown Court jury of the manslaughter of Mr Khyel and Mr Khan.

The prosecutor told the court that it was not until November 29, 2013, that Zubair was arrested in Pakistan and the process of extraditing him back to the UK began. 

He said the authorities were reliant on the Pakistani government for assistance, given that no formal extradition treaty existed between the two countries.

Zubair had appealed the extradition order at various stages, taking his case to the Pakistan Supreme Court at one stage, delaying his return to this country until May last year. 

He said the fact that Zubair had absconded was a substantial aggravating feature in the case, stating he had fled “intending never to face justice”.

Judge Jameson told Zubair: “You fled to Pakistan. I have no doubt that you never intended to return.

“Were it not for the efforts of both the British and Pakistani authorities to achieve justice without the benefit of an extradition treaty, that end might have been achieved.”

Speaking after today's sentencing, senior investigating officer Detective Superintendent Simon Atkinson, said: "I would firstly like to thank the Pakistani authorities, who have played a crucial role in this investigation by arresting Zubair and ensuring his extradition back to the UK to face justice.　

"His victims were brutally murdered and I hope their families will finally have some comfort knowing that their killer is now facing a life sentence.　

"Zubair fled the country shortly after he had killed his victims in the belief that he would also escape justice for these horrendous crimes. 　

"I hope this case sends out a message that West Yorkshire Police will use all available methods to bring dangerous men like Zubair to justice, wherever in the world they might be."

Richard Sagar, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "This has been a protracted and difficult case for the CPS to prosecute, but today justice has finally been done.

"With the aid of his mother, Zubair fled the country immediately after the killings and fought tooth and nail to avoid being extradited to this country. 

"All diplomatic channels open to us were vigorously pursued to ensure that he was returned to the UK to face justice. This case makes it abundantly clear that criminals who seek to evade the law will not escape."

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