Man accused of pushing wife to death 'fell'

A man accused of murdering his wife told police he heard her screaming after she fell from Arthur's Seat.

Kashif Anwar from Yorkshire denies murdering his wife Fazwiyah Javed by pushing her to her death during a visit to Edinburgh in September 2021.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard Mr Anwar told police that he lost his balance and "fell into her" on the hill.

Mr Anwar told police his wife then went over the edge and he heard her screams.

Sgt Michael Thomson, told the court on Monday how he took a statement from Mr Anwar, 29, after Fawziyah Javed, 31, slipped from the hill in Edinburgh.

The jury heard how Mr Anwar told the police: "We were below the summit. I lost my balance and fell into her.

"I heard her go over the edge and say 'oh my foot' and she started screaming. I heard a thud. I kept shouting her name but I wasn't getting any response."

Another officer had earlier told the court he was "struck" by how calm Mr Anwar was following his wife's death.

PC Sean Henderson said he first saw Mr Anwar at a plateau near the summit of Arthur's Seat and was later at a station with him where he said: "I know how this looks. We had our problems as a couple but...

He said: "I was struck by how calm his demeanour was throughout."

Another officer, Det Con Steven Caballero said when Anwar was taken to the charge bar at an Edinburgh police station he had asked if he would get bail, but then said "probably not, not for murder".

The officer said the accused went on to ask about the conditions of Edinburgh prisons in the hours following his wife's death, adding "my life is ruined now".

A dogwalker told the court she heard a scream and shout for help on the night Ms Javed died.

Claire Pentony said she was walking her dog on the hill and dialled 999 after hearing the woman scream.

The witness said: "A woman screamed and said 'help' at the same time. It was the same sounding voice."

She added she also heard a man shout what she thought was a woman's name and estimated that came "two or three or four minutes" later.

"It was not immediate," she said.

Firefighter Sean Stratford was one of those called to the scene. He said a man came and said they had stood up to take a "selfie" but he slipped and "bumped into her" causing her to fall.

He said he could not clearly remember whether or not the man was Mr Anwar, saying it was dark and he did not get a good look at him.

The firefighter added that when they reached the injured woman she was "not in a very good state at all". He said she was drifting in and out of consciousness but then her eyes rolled back and she went into cardiac arrest.

A police officer began performing CPR on her and firefighters then took turns continuing with the aid.

Another witness told the court she saw Mr Anwar "pulling" his wife about in the months leading up to her death.

Appearing remotely from the West Yorkshire city, Nicola Lilley told the trial she saw Ms Javed, 31, being "pulled about", and that she had become concerned for her.

Ms Lilly said: "I just knew something wasn't right. She was just trying to get away from him and (he) was being, sort of, aggressive towards her."

The court was told that Ms Javed appeared "very upset and frightened", and identified the man to Ms Lilly as her husband.

Mr Anwar denies all the charges against him, including one of acting in a threatening and abusive way towards his wife at a hotel in Edinburgh the day before the alleged murder.

The court heard that the couple, who married in 2020, had checked into the Residence Inn in Edinburgh for a four-night stay on 1 September 2021.

Ms Javed died due to complications from multiple injuries and a fall from height the following day.

The trial, before Lord Beckett, continues.