Barrister who framed her lover for kidnap and rape after learning he was married has life sentence overturned

A BARRISTER who framed her lover for kidnap and rape after discovering he was married has had her life sentence for perverting the course of justice overturned.

Anisah Ahmed took her case of the Court of Appeal after being jailed for life at Oxford Crown Court in April this year.


Judge Michael Gledhill QC gave her a life sentence with a minimum term of four years, six months and 10 days.

Ahmed, 33, set up an "evil" campaign of lies and falsely claimed she was raped as well as staging her own kidnapping and stabbing, the court heard.

But appeal court judges have replaced her life term with a 10-year jail sentence and a lifelong restraining order.

Ahmed appeared over video link from HMP Eastwood Park and was so overcome with emotion she rose from her seat and walked out of shot when the judgement was pronounced.

Lord Justice Edis urged her to continue her good work in prison and seek help with her mental health on her release.

He said: “The stakes are very high for you. They are not as high as they were because you are no longer subject to a life sentence but they are high.

"If you commit further offences or breach any of those orders you will go to prison for a long time.

"Whether that happens or not is up to you.”

The twisted plot began in 2014 when Ahmed found out her lover, fellow barrister Iqbal Mohammed, was married.

Judge Gledhill said: "It appears that Ahmed had no idea that Mohammed was married.

"When she found out, she felt utterly betrayed and took her revenge by putting into effect a comprehensive and orchestrated plan to destroy him – both professionally and personally."

'COMPLETELY FALSE'

After seeing her jailed, Mr Mohammed said he believed he was targeted following his BBC documentary debut and explained that the dark harassment he faced was comparable with the movie "Fatal Attraction."

The court heard how Ahmed sent intimate messages of the affair to the victim's wife and his colleagues.

She also emailed his Head of Chambers demanding an investigation into his integrity.

Ahmed also created fake emails to support her false claims which made it look like they were sent by the victim threatening her, amounting to "blackmail."

If you commit further offences or breach any of those orders you will go to prison for a long time

Mr Mohammed was arrested at his barrister chambers before he was taken to a police station and locked in a cell for seven hours, the judge heard.

After his chambers told IT experts to search the' computers, they discovered that the email evidence had been falsified and police arrested Ahmed for harassment.

She later admitted that she had created the fake emails, but kept lying that Mohammed was still harassing her.

Judge Gledhill QC added: "As a barrister, Ahmed was well aware of the gravity of what she had done and the potential consequences to herself. In order to avoid such consequences, her strategy then took an even more sinister turn.

"She made another attempt to frame Mr Mohammed for a serious criminal offence.

"She reported that he had raped her on several occasions. Her complaint was detailed and convincing, even though it was completely false.

"Her purpose was twofold – revenge and to divert the police attention away from herself and back onto Mr Mohammed. In the short term it worked. Mr Mohammed was again arrested and interviewed.

"The effect on Mr Mohammed can hardly be over-stated. He saw his career, livelihood and family life disintegrating before his eyes, he even thought of taking his own life."

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