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A woman who died of horrific burns after being found engulfed in flames told a paramedic that her husband had thrown fluid on her before “setting her on fire”, according to an investigation.
Nosheen Akhtar, 31, also known as Sarah Hussein, died in hospital on July 24, 2021, the day after the horrific incident at her home in Bury, Greater Manchester.
Neighbors had tried to help her after she ran into East Street covered in fire, an inquest at Rochdale Coroner’s Court heard on Monday.
Amy Bradburn, a paramedic who treated Ms Akhtar, described by loved ones as an “angel”, said she had told her: “My husband did it.”
Her husband, Waqas Mahmood, and two other men were arrested but later released without charge and the police took no further action.
Nosheen Akhtar, 31, also known as Sarah Hussein, died on July 24, 2021, after sustaining horrific burns at her home in Bury, Greater Manchester.
Neighbors had tried to help her after she came across East Street engulfed in flames, an inquest at Rochdale Coroner’s Court heard on Monday.
Floral tributes were left at the scene with many paying homage to ‘angel’ Nosheen Akhtar, who later died of her injuries in hospital.
Ms Bradburn said she had been previously informed by a colleague that Ms Akhtar had “poured petrol on herself”. She described Ms Akhtar as having “extensive burns” on her body, with her face terribly disfigured by the fire.
Ms Bradburn’s colleague, Duncan Mayoh, recalled that Ms Akhtar “screamed in pain for us to help her”. While in an ambulance on the way to hospital, he said Ms Akhtar claimed that “her husband had thrown liquid on her and set her on fire”.
Although she had been given a high dose of morphine, Mayoh said Akhtar did not seem “confused” when she made the claim.
While Ms Akhtar was rushed to Wythenshawe Hospital, her husband, Waqas Mahmood, was treated at the scene for several burn blisters on his hand.
While attending to Mr Mahmood, paramedic Dominic Wilson said he appeared ‘nervous’ but was ‘cooperative’.
Mr Wilson said: ‘I asked him what had happened and he explained that his wife had poured white spirit on herself and set herself on fire.
“She walked into the burning living room and he set about trying to extinguish the flames with cushions, towels and blankets, then picked her up and carried her out of the house.”
However, the inquest was told that CCTV footage showed Ms Akhtar running from the still-burning property. She then was followed by Mr. Mahmood and his brother. Hasnain Mahmood, who she could be seen using the cushions to try to put out the flames.
Emergency services were called to the residential East Street in Bury at around 7:30pm on July 24, 2021, where they discovered a 31-year-old woman who had suffered “severe” burns.
In the hearing on Monday it was said how inInvestigators found two open bottles containing an accelerant when they visited the home, while a cigarette lighter was recovered from the living room floor.
Emma Wilson, an arson investigator who examined the scene, said tests showed the accelerant had likely been poured on Ms Akhtar before the back of her robe caught fire.
She said damage to a sofa and a shot in the living room suggested Ms Akhtar was standing when her clothes were set on fire before sitting down for “a matter of seconds”.
Ms Wilson added that either Ms Akhtar or Mr Mahmood could have set the clothes on fire, but Ms Akhtar would have had to “stretch” to do so.
Ms Wilson said: “It would seem more likely that the user would turn it on in an accessible location.” You are less likely to stretch to light it from behind.
Following the incident, the police arrested Mr. Mahmood, his brother Hasnain Mahmood and Murtaz Safeer, Waqas’s nephew who was present that night.
However, no further action was taken against the three and they were released without charge, at a pre-investigation hearing held last year.
A post-mortem examination carried out on Ms Akhtar found that she had suffered “widespread burns to her body”, the inquest heard.
The inquest heard that Ms Akhtar told paramedics that her husband had “set her on fire”. Pictured: Police in East Street, Bury, after the incident
In a statement read out in court, pathologist Dr. Philip Lumb said the cause of death was “burns and inhalation of the products of combustion.”
In the months before her death, Ms Akhtar, who grew up in Pakistan, had spoken with family members and health professionals about problems in her marriage, the inquest heard.
Zaheera Bibi, Ms Akhtar’s mother, said her daughter told her that she and Mr Mahmood quarreled regularly and that she was “sick” of Mr Mahmood visiting his ex-wife.
Ms Bibi said: ‘I used to call and cry on the phone. There were so many fights and arguments between them.
Following a visit to see family in Pakistan in 2020, Ms Bibi said Ms Akhtar began to cry and “seemed worried” about returning to the UK.
Ms Bibi added: “She wanted her marriage to be successful and she wanted to do everything she could to save her marriage.”
The inquiry heard that Ms Akhtar was taken to hospital in February 2021 after taking an overdose. She told doctors that she had done it after an argument in which Mr Mahmood threatened to leave her.
Shaista Farzeen, 33, who was one of the first to arrive on the scene, says the nightmarish images were forever etched in her memory.
Dr Afzal Hussain, Ms Akhtar’s GP, said at the inquest that during an appointment the following month, Ms Akhtar claimed she had taken the overdose “out of frustration” and accused Mr Mahmood of “neglecting her”. and ignore it.”
Dr Hussain added: “Most of her problems were related to her husband still seeing his ex-wife and children on an almost daily basis.”
Ms. Bibi said that she and her daughter talked on the phone every day. During a conversation on the afternoon of July 23, she said that Ms. Akhtar seemed “in a good mood” and that she did not believe that she had set herself on fire.
In a statement read out in court, Ms Akhtar’s family described her as “courageous” and “good-natured” but said she “kept a lot from family”.
The statement read: ‘Nosheen did not want to show the family that she was stressed. She was very nice. She used to take care of us like a mother.
“He had a good nature and used to think of all of us while living in the UK. She used to care about others and always wanted to do something for them.’
The investigation, which should last seven days, continues.