A Barclays bank worker was murdered by her uncle after being “dragged into his warped yearnings” for another young woman, a court has heard.
Celine Dookhran, 20, was allegedly kidnapped, raped, and killed by Mujahid Arshid who then stuffed her into a freezer at a house he was renovating in Kingston, south-west London.
Another woman, who cannot be identified, escaped the same fate, despite Arshid saying she had “10 minutes to live” as she lay bleeding on the bathroom floor, the Old Bailey has heard.
In his closing speech, prosecutor Crispin Aylett QC said the 33-year-old builder had been “obsessed” with the surviving victim for years and fantasised about raping her in chat logs with an undercover police officer.
The married man had researched murder on the internet as he plotted to snatch both women, the court heard.
On July 19 last year, he allegedly seized his opportunity after Ms Dookhran became “distraught” at a family meeting aimed at forcing her to give up her boyfriend.
Mr Aylett said the fact Arshid had fantasised about raping the survivor in chat logs some four years before was “the most sinister aspect” of what were “already hideous events”.
He told jurors: “Bear in mind that when (the surviving victim) gave her account to police she would not have known anything of the sexual fantasy (Arshid) had been festering over all those years.”
He went on: “The prosecution suggest Arshid had been obsessed with (the surviving victim) for years. After all he was so jealous of (her boyfriend) he actually punched him in the mouth.
“And he had become rather fond of Celine. He had come into her dressing room half dressed and sat in the room in a rather creepy way, certainly over familiar.
Celine Dookhran. Mujahid Arshid is on trial accused of the kidnap, rape and murder of his niece and the attempted murder of another woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, in July last year (Family handout/Metropolitan Police/PA).
“If his plan had been to rape (the surviving victim), somehow Celine got dragged into his warped yearnings as well.
“The family meeting did create a situation that Arshid could take advantage of.
“Celine was distraught, looking to run away. (The surviving victim) had her own issues with her family.
“He had in fact been planning for such a situation for some time. You know from the internet searches Mr Arshid had been planning all of this for three weeks or so before it happened.”
Arshid, formerly of south-west London, denies murder, attempted murder, rape of both women and the previous sexual assault and assault by penetration of the surviving woman when she was about 13.
Vincent Tappu (left) and Mujahid Arshid in the dock of the Old Bailey, as a young woman has told how Arshid a “psycho” builder slit her throat and said she had “10 minutes to live” after killing her friend (File court artist sketch by Elizabeth Cook).
Together with labourer Tappu, 28, from Acton, west London, he has also pleaded not guilty to the women’s kidnap and false imprisonment, and possession of a firearm with intent.
The jury is expected to retire to consider its verdict on Wednesday afternoon.