My father killed my mother in his allotment shed. Now I want him to tell me where he hid her body
- Laura May Al Shatanawi was murdered in Hartlepool in 1993 by husband Hassan
- Their son Rasheed begs his father to reveal where her body is buried
A man whose mother was brutally murdered by his father 30 years ago has called on the killer to reveal where he dumped the remains of his 35-year-old victim.
Laura May Al Shatanawi was murdered by her Jordanian-born husband Hassan in Hartlepool. He was jailed for life in October 1994, but never revealed where he disposed of her remains.
Now his son, Rasheed Vaughan, has said publicly for the first time about his ordeal: ‘I love my mother so much and I will never stop looking for her. My mother would have loved to have met my son and watched me grow up. We wish it weren’t the case, but we would love nothing more than to be able to put my mother to rest.
He told Teesside Live: ‘I have many fond memories of my childhood with Mom. I remember going on holiday with her, we went to Rhodes – me and my mum, uncle and aunt – I remember going on a trip to Scarborough. I have so many wonderful memories. I’m told she lived life to the fullest.’
Richard Vaughan, pictured at his mother’s grave, begs his father Hassan to reveal where he dumped her body after her murder in June 1993
Laura Al Shatanawi, pictured, was murdered by her husband Hassan, who dumped her body. Police have found DNA evidence linking him to the crime in his allotment shed, although no trace of her body has been found for thirty years.
Mr Vaughan, pictured, was just seven years old when his mother was murdered by his father
The 37-year-old father-of-one was seven when his mother disappeared. Initially, Shatanawi claimed his wife – who had studied tourism in Hartlepool – had gone on holiday to Turkey.
The couple married in Egypt in 1985 and moved to England in 1985.
Shatanawi reported his wife missing three weeks after his wife disappeared. Police soon became suspicious and arrested Mr Vaughan’s father.
Before killing his wife, the killer had rented an allotment and paid a workman £10 to set fire to his shed.
The workman sold the shed to a friend and when police appealed for witnesses, the workman provided details of the shed that contained vital forensic evidence that led to Shatanawi’s conviction.
A court heard he killed his wife to move in with his mistress and their five-year-old son.
Mr Vaughan said he saw his father in custody but has never spoken to him since.
He added: “Since he was deported, I have been trying to locate him because if he is going to tell anyone where my mother’s body is, it would be me. I always think: where could she be? We were never able to give her a place to rest.”
Hassan Al Shatanawi, pictured, a Jordanian doctor, was deported after serving his life sentence for the murder of his wife Laura