When special constable Nisha Patel-Nasri was found dying in the street metres from her home in May 2006, suspicion instantly turned to a botched break-in.
uncertain
suspicion → find → in
But it didn't take long before police began to close the net on a suspect who was very much closer to home - Nisha's Husband Fadi Nasri.
asserted
who → take → home
His fatal mistake was to arouse the suspicion of detectives working on the case, who were left troubled by the way he had conducted himself during a TV appeal to find her killer.
asserted
he → arouse → killer
One senior officer insisted he detected 'almost a bit of a smirk' on Fadi's face as he delivered an emotionless plea for help from the public, a new Channel 5 documentary reveals.
asserted
documentary → insist → public
Nisha's family had also been left concerned by the Crimewatch interview as they watched a dead-eyed and arrogant Fadi state to the camera: 'Someone has got to know something.'
asserted
Someone → leave → something
His nonchalance was enough to turn the focus of the investigation towards the former escort agency owner.
asserted
nonchalance → turn → owner
Nisha, a 'vibrant', 'sociable' officer was happily married, had a loving family and had already been rattled by an attempted burglary at the marital home in Wembley, north London, just a week earlier.
asserted
Nisha → have → Wembley
And the 29-year-old, who also owned her own hairdressing business, had chased off the three young men herself – something that hardly surprised her special constable colleagues.
But a murkier picture soon appeared around the couple's lives – of threats to Nisha's and Fadi's lives, a suspect with a solid alibi and links to organised crime.
asserted
picture → own → crime
Then there was Fadi's hidden affair, escort business, life insurance policy and the one clue that would eventually lead to his carefully concocted web of lies come tumbling down around him.
asserted
web → be → him
The nightmare would begin at 11.40pm on May 11, 2006, when Fadi left his wife at home to meet a friend to play a late-night game of snooker.
uncertain
Fadi → begin → snooker
Moments after he left home, neighbours reported hearing screams coming from the property on Sudbury Avenue as Nisha fled into the street, where she was pursued by a male intruder and stabbed in the leg with her own kitchen knife.
asserted
she → leave → knife
When special constable Nisha Patel-Nasri was found dying in the street metres from her home in May 2006, suspicion instantly turned to a botched break-in
Nisha, 29, was murdered in a plot concocted by her husband, Fadi Nasri, who was having an affair
DCI Nick Scola said concerns were raised about Nisha's husband after an appeal on Crimewatch
The attack, which severed the artery in her femur, left Nisha bleeding out on the ground.
uncertain
which → find → ground
She was taken to hospital but could not be saved and died that night.
uncertain
She → take → hospital
As Nisha foughtfor her life, a neighbour phoned Fadi to inform him his wife had been stabbed and he rushed back home.
asserted
he → phone → him
Crucially, phone data confirms he was away from the property at the time of the incident.
asserted
he → confirm → incident
DC Paul Webb, assigned as lead detective on the case, focused on a possible break-in, given the attempt the previous week and the fact that a set of house keys were discovered to be missing, prompting a theory the intruders had taken them to gain access to the home.
asserted
intruders → assign → home
'After we learned that there had previously been an attempted break-in at the house, our first line of enquiry was to try to establish whether there was a link to that and her murder,' DC Webb said.
asserted
Webb → learn → that
The investigation got into full swing, with house-to-house enquiries turning up a witness who had seen a man fleeing the scene, of possible Afro-Caribbean ethnicity.
asserted
man → get → ethnicity
But something about a robbery didn't sit right with detectives – a large quantity of cash from Nisha's hairdressing firm, which had been lying in plain sight on the sofa, had not been touched.
asserted
which → sit → sofa
And no forced entry meant it was likely her attacker had a key.
asserted
attacker → force → key
It was then that the investigation seemed to land on another, even stronger lead, thanks to Nisha's own husband.
asserted
investigation → seem → husband
Fadi revealed to officers his wife's life had been threatened by a woman he had rowed with over his limousine hire business.
asserted
he → reveal → business
He had agreed to sell one of his cars to a minicab firm owner based in Glasgow, on the agreement he could borrow it for one more job, he told officers.
uncertain
he → agree → officers
But when he tried to use it, he said the lady wouldn't let him.
asserted
lady → try → him
So, he decided to travel all the way to Glasgow – an 800-mile round trip – and steal it back using the spare keys, which he still had.
asserted
he → decide → which
The woman he sold the vehicle to responded with a series of threats in a recorded rant sent to Fadi's phone, which included: 'If you value your life and your wife's you'll return my f****ing car now.'
asserted
you → sell → car
In what Fadi might have considered a perfect act of distraction, police found a dead end.
uncertain
police → consider → end
They spoke to the woman, and returned to London completely satisfied she had nothing to do with the attack on Nisha.
asserted
she → speak → Nisha
Attention now returned to the scene on the night of the murder, with officers reviewing CCTV footage from a nearby shop.
asserted
officers → return → shop
They immediately spotted a suspicious silver Audi A4, which pulled up at the scene for just seconds before then leaving.
asserted
which → spot → seconds
Although the number plate was not visible, detectives noticed an unusual bee sting aerial on the back of the car.
asserted
detectives → notice → car
With just 1,800 cars of the same model and colour, it was hoped this could help ID those responsible.
uncertain
this → hop → those
These breadcrumbs would prove vital after a Crimewatch appeal for information, featuring Nisha's brother and Fadi, which would see police focus on a brand new suspect: her husband.
asserted
police → prove → suspect
DC Paul Webb described how during the programme, 'Fadi came across almost with a bit of a smirk on his face at times.'
Nisha's brother Pilesh Patel said he feels 'guilty' he couldn't be there for his sister 'in her hour of need'
Fadi was having an affair, drowning in debt and had taken out a life insurance policy on his wife shortly before her death
Jason Jones was comissioned to murder Nisha by her husband Fadi
Roger Leslie, described by DCI Scola as 'an intimidating looking gangster with studs on his face', had been in touch with Fadi both before and after the attack
In its aftermath, several officers assigned to the case began to push for him to be looked at more closely – and helpfully, they already had access to his phone due to the reported threats.
asserted
they → describe → threats
Detective Chief Inspector Nick Scola said: 'Following the appeal, some of my staff came to me and said they weren't happy with the way Fadi Nasri had come across and thought perhaps he was hiding something.
asserted
he → say → something
We did find it unusual that he would go out and play at twenty to midnight and leave his wife at home.
asserted
he → find → home
But everyone lives their life differently.
asserted
everyone → live → life
And Nasri's phone records indicated he was away from the family address the moment Nisha was attacked.'
asserted
Nisha → indicate → address
Indeed Pilesh Patel, Nisha's older brother, said the family were also taken aback by Fadi's demeanour during the interview.
asserted
family → say → interview
Mr Patel said: 'Watching his interview, it was very concerning and there were lots of questions that came up in our minds about what had truly happened behind it all.'
asserted
what → say → it
…and 27 more, not listed.
The Aporia
