'Psycho' builder Mujahid Arshid, from Blackburn, guilty of kidnap, rape and murder of niece

Mujahid Arshid, 33, originally from Blackburn, hatched his murderous plot after becoming fixated with his 20-year-old niece, Celine Dookhran, and the surviving victim, who cannot be identified.

In July last year, he attacked them at a house he was renovating in south-west London, and stuffed Ms Dookhran's body in a freezer.

Following a trial at the Old Bailey, Arshid was was found guilty of murder, attempted murder, rape of both women and their kidnap.

He was also convicted of sexually assaulting the surviving victim when she was 13.

As he was convicted after 14 hours of deliberations, Ms Dookhran's family shouted: "Yes."

Arshid ranted in the dock, saying: "The (survivor) killed all of them. She's lied to you."

Arshid was given four life sentences for the rapes, attempted murder and murder and was told he must serve a minimum term of 40 years for Ms Dookhran's killing.

Mujahid Arshid

The woman wept in court, but appealed for others to remain calm and hold back their emotions.

Labourer Vincent Tappu, 28, of Acton, west London, who also stood trial, was acquitted of all charges against him, and Arshid was acquitted of possessing a Taser.

The court had heard that Arshid had a festering obsession with the surviving victim dating back to when she was a child.

When she complained about his sexual abuse, her family had not believed her, jurors heard.

Four years before the murder, Arshid revealed his rape fantasy involving the same woman in a web chat with an undercover police officer.

During their explicit exchanges, he said: "These kind of girls deserve rape - lol."

Celine Dookhran

When confronted by police, Arshid blamed an employee for using his computer and the case was dropped.

Prosecutor Crispin Aylett QC told jurors that, after Ms Dookhran moved into Arshid's house, she also got "dragged into his warped yearnings".

The Barclays bank worker had confided in her boyfriend that she found him "creepy" and a "pervert".

In the weeks leading up to the killing, he carried out research on the internet and was inspired by acid bath killer John George Haigh, who was hanged in 1949 for murdering six people.

Arshid bought a freezer for the Kingston house to hide the bodies so they would not be found until long after he had fled the country.

He seized his opportunity when Ms Dookhran's family tried to force her to split from her boyfriend, leaving her "distraught".

With Tappu's help, he bound and gagged the women and bundled them into his pick-up truck the next day.

He raped both women in turn at the Kingston house before slashing Ms Dookhran's throat in the bathroom.

The second woman was badly injured but managed to escape by talking Arshid round.

Speaking to police from her hospital bed, she described hearing screams and thuds as Arshid killed Ms Dookhran while she was tied to a chair downstairs.

She fought for her life when Arshid turned on her, cutting her throat and wrists.

She told officers: "He said: 'Now you've got 10 minutes to live and your body will shut down.' I was trying to play dead.

"He molested Celine's body while she was dead and then he molested me thinking I was dead. He's such a psycho.

"I sat up and he said: 'How have you got so much energy?' I was covered in blood from head to toe. I was swimming in it.

"I started saying things he wanted to hear - 'I love you, we can run away together, we can be happy together, we can have a family'.

"He said: 'I'm not good enough for you, look what I have done.'"

She told the court: "I'm not going to lie, I was scared for my life. I thought, if we get out alive, he cannot get away with this."

Afterwards, Arshid had a furious WhatsApp row with his wife, Aisha Kalyansingh, who demanded to know where her niece was.

The defendant told her "a darkness came over me" and claimed the surviving woman had planned it with him.

Arshid said he was running away and would be in touch when he reached Pakistan, but Ms Kalyansingh told him: "You're dead to me."

He was picked up at a hotel in Folkestone in Kent, still in possession of the padlock to the freezer.

Giving evidence, he claimed the surviving woman killed Ms Dookhran in a fit of jealousy after he had consensual sex with both of them.

He claimed she was injured when she attacked him too and they struggled over the knife.

But an examination of Ms Dookhran's body was at odds with his account.

She had a sock stuffed in her mouth and the knife that cut her throat had also sliced through tape wound around her head.

Mr Aylett added that her injuries were identical to those delivered to the surviving woman, which could not have been inflicted during a struggle.

Tappu denied involvement in the kidnap and appealed to the victim's family as he gave evidence.

The rape and murder of Ms Dookhran by her uncle was not a "honour killing" the family of a surviving victim said.

The family insisted the murder and attempted murder of the two women was not honour-based as "initially speculated" and "the facts of the case vindicated this".

They added: "Mujahid Arshid tried to destroy the life of the surviving victim ever since she met him, he has manipulated and lied repeatedly, and continued this throughout the trial.

"Mujahid Arshid persistently fabricated the truth and attempted to deceive the courts and the same can be said of those that have supported him during the course of this trial.

"More so, Arshid, by pleading not guilty, ensured that the surviving victim would have to relive that horrific day in minuscule detail during the course of this trial.

"He showed not an ounce of remorse throughout this trial, in spite of the hurt and pain he purposefully caused. He should hang his head in shame!

"We would like to give a special mention to Celine Dookhran who was tragically murdered by Mujahid Arshid.

"She was an amazingly brilliant, talented, kind, loving and innocent person. She will be always remembered and loved.

"The surviving victim has asked for privacy from all forms of media and press so she can take some time to attempt to rebuild and move on with her life."

Murder Squad's Detective Chief Inspector Sam Price said: "This was a sexually motivated attack of unspeakable violence and horror which ended in one murder, with a second surviving victim suffering serious injuries and ongoing trauma.

"Throughout the trial, Arshid's attempts to deflect blame from himself have been deplorable.

"I am glad the jury have seen through his lies and have convicted him of these horrific crimes."

She added: "Celine's family have been forced to sit through weeks of reliving their daughter's last hours and they have done this with absolute dignity.

"Their distress has been compounded by the fact Arshid was someone they knew and trusted.

"I would like to pay tribute to them, and the surviving victim, who have shown great strength and courage during this investigation - this is in complete contrast to Arshid's cowardice."

A juror who served during the trial of Arshid also sat in the case of Damilola Taylor, it emerged today.

After jurors returned their verdicts, Mr Justice Edis said: "I suspect none of us will forget the name Celine Dookhran."

He then revealed a juror had told staff today they served "on the jury which dealt with the case of Damilola Taylor, and was excused from jury service for life".

The judge added: "Apparently no record was kept of that, which counted for your participance.

"I will say you have more than done your bit."