How did Fawziyah Javed die? Pregnant lawyer's last words were, "Don’t let my husband near me, he pushed me"

Representative image of a Cliff (Photo by Scott Murdoch from Burst)
Representative image of a cliff (Photo by Scott Murdoch from Burst)

Fawziyah Javed was murdered in September 2021 when her own husband, Kashif Anwar, pushed her off the cliff from Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh. Detailing the murder of Javed, The Push, on Channel 4 will shed light on her case when it releases in March 2024. At the time of her death, Javed was on a trip with her husband to the well-sought location of Scotland.

Fawziyah Javed was an environment lawyer with Lyons Davidson and used to live with her husband in Leeds. She was pregnant at the time of her death and her unborn child was due in February 2022. Javed, who was 31 years old at the time of her death, had been married for almost a year.

Metro reported that a passerby heard some of her last words, "Don’t let my husband near me, he pushed me" as she lay seriously injured after the fall. This ultimately helped the prosecution put Anwar behind bars.


Fawziyah Javed had recorded evidence of her husband's abusive behavior before her death

The Times reports that Police Constable Rhiannon Clutton who had made her way through the steep slope after a 999 call by someone in public was among the prime witnesses to which Javed had spoken last.

The Times reports that Clutton said while giving evidence in the murder trial via video link, "She had an obvious injury to her head and she was writhing in pain, but she was able to speak to me when I asked her questions."

When Alex Prentice KC, the lead prosecutor, asked Clutton what Javed told her, Clutton replied:

"She said, 'He pushed me,' I asked her who had pushed her and she said, 'My husband, because I tried to end it.'"

As per Metro, Fawziyah Javed married Anwar in December 2020. According to BBC Newsnight, Javed had reported domestic abuse to West Yorkshire Police on two instances before she was murdered, the latter just days before the Edinburgh trip. She had even reportedly set up a secret code with her mother, Nighat Yashmin Javed, to call the police in case of an emergency.

Her mother said that Javed had informed the police that she was going to leave her husband, adding that the police informed her daughter that she was at 'high risk' of domestic abuse due to pregnancy.

Other than the police report, Alex Prentice KC also said that Fawziyah Javed had recorded phone calls of Anwar being abusive towards her. Prentice confirmed that the pieces of evidence, which include two call recordings by Javed to Anwar, led to the successful conviction of Anwar in April 2023 at the High Court in Edinburgh.

Anwar was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

As per Mirror, Anwar had told the 999 operator that Fawziyah was on the edge of the cliff. He said that they both had slipped, and he tried grabbing her arm, but she fell. Anwar said that they both technically slipped and then he tried grabbing her arm and she went sideways.

The Times reported that Anwar's father claimed that Javed and Anwar had a love marriage and were always happy.


Channel 4's crime documentary The Push to look into Fawziyah's Javed's case and evidence

The Scottish Sun reported that the details of Fawziyah Javed's case would be revealed in Channel 4's crime documentary The Push. The documentary has been directed by BAFTA award-winning moviemaker Anna Hall.

Speaking about the documentary, Hall said to The Scottish Sun:

"It’s been such a privilege to see the process of justice played out minute by minute at Edinburgh High Court... I find myself making another film about a woman who was on the verge of leaving an abusive relationship – the most dangerous time for any woman – and I want to weep. How many more women will be killed at the hands of their abusive partners?"

The Push will be aired on Channel 4 on March 3 and 4, in two parts.

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