Grandmother who arranged ‘honour killing’ of daughter-in-law to be freed from prison after 15 years

Bachan Athwal, now 85, was jailed in 2007 for ordering the murder of 27-year-old Surjit Athwal after learning she was having an affair and wanted to divorce her son

Bachan Athwal has been approved for release from prison almost 24 years after she ordered the murder of her daughter-in-law (Metropolitan Police)

A grandmother who arranged the murder of her daughter-in-law in 1998 is to be freed from prison after having a parole application accepted.

Bachan Athwal, then 70, was jailed alongside her son Sukhdave in 2007 for the so-called honour killing of 27-year-old Surjit Athwal, who went missing during a trip to India in 1998.

The Old Bailey heard how Bachan discovered Athwal had been having an affair and wanted to divorce her son but told family members this would only happen “over my dead body”.

The court was told Bachan, now 85, was the matriarchal head of the west London family and exercised extraordinary influence over the other members.

During a trip to a family wedding in the Punjab in India in 1998, she arranged for the Heathrow customs officer to be killed.

She later boasted to her family that she had got rid of Athwal by getting a relative to strangle her and throw her body in a river in Ravi. Athwal’s body has never been found.

The body of Surjit Athwal, 27, (right) is said to have been thrown into a river in India but has never been found (Metropolitan Police)

Bachan and Sukhdave, both previously of Hayes, then pretended Athwal had run away.

They forged letters supposedly from the Metropolitan Police to their Indian counterparts to block any local investigation.

The mother and son then faked a document, transferring ownership of the home Athwal part-owned into their names.

Sukhdave took out a £100,000 insurance policy on his wife the day she left for India - but it did not pay out.

He later divorced Surjit in her absence, claiming she deserted him, and then married someone else.

The Parole Board said Bachan Athwal, who is in ill health and suffers from dementia, is at a ‘very low’ risk of reoffending (PA)

Sentencing them both to life imprisonment in September 2007, Judge Giles Forrester told the mother and son: “The pair of you decided that the so-called honour of your family members was worth more than the life of this young woman.

“You, Bachan, were head of that family. I have no doubt you exercised a controlling influence over other family members.”

On Wednesday the Parole Board said Bachan, who is in poor health and suffers from dementia, could be released from prison.

In a summary of the decision, the board said Bachan is physically frail, lacks mental capacity and her risk of reoffending is “very low”.

The panel considered the fact Bachan has never disclosed where the victim’s body is – but said the issue could not be discussed with her because of the health issues.

Bachan will have to live at a specific address after her release and be of good behaviour, while restrictions will be placed on her contacts, movements and activities.