A courageous mother delivered a heartfelt victim impact statement to her former husband, who she said repeatedly attacked her and whose violence left her fearing for her life.
Mariyyah Raees expressed her pain and condemnation directly to Rayan Mughal during sentencing at Birmingham Crown Court. Sitting with his head bowed via a prison video link, Mughal, 27, faced the consequences of his actions after pleading guilty to several serious charges.
Ms Raees did not hold back, telling him: “I despise you. You’re evil. You’re dangerous. You would have killed me one day, leaving my son without a mother and my mum without a daughter.”
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She continued, “This is my final message to you. I hope you feel what it’s like to be stripped of everything, like you did to me. I hope you live with regret and it eats you up every day. I will never understand what you did, and I’m glad I don’t, because you’re a deeply troubled person. You deserve to be where you are today and should be ashamed of yourself.”
The couple had been in a “toxic” relationship lasting three years, officially married under Islamic rites. Throughout last year, Mughal attacked Ms Raees on three occasions, inflicting repeated punches and strangulation. In one assault, he broke her thumb.
During the most vicious attack on October 8, Ms Raees courageously recorded the incident, capturing Mughal threatening to kill her and verbally abusing her. Following this, she reported the abuse to the authorities.
Mughal, from Sparkbrook, who graduated from university, attributed his violent behaviour to internal struggles with his sexuality, which his legal representative said was “not readily accepted” within his cultural background.
He pleaded guilty to two charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, one of strangulation, threats to kill, and wounding with intent. On 11 September, he was sentenced to five years and ten months’ imprisonment and was issued a seven-year restraining order preventing any contact with Ms Raees.
The case highlights the severe impact of domestic abuse and the bravery of survivors in seeking justice.