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We set the scene on the horrific and brutal murder of 17-year-old, Sana Ali who was 11 weeks pregnant. The attack on Friday 10 May 2007 resulted in over 40 separate knife wounds, described as ‘sustained and ferocious’, and occurred at the home of her husband’s parents in Bury on the outskirts of Manchester, England.

Sana’s husband, playboy businessman Sair Ali had been having a long-term affair with Harmohinder Sanghera, also known as Mindy. On that fateful day Mindy drove from her home in Solihull, West Midlands to confront Sana about her husbands illicit affair but to tell also her it was all over.

After a trial in November 2007 Mindy, a dentistry student was jailed for life, with a minimum term of 14 years, for the murder of Sana Ali.

Mindy has always maintained her innocence and this podcast will take you through a very careful and thorough forensic re-investigation of all the evidence from both the prosecution and the defence.

We hear from Mindy as she describes her visit to Sana.

You, the listener will be asked to consider if Mindy is a cold-blooded killer or if she is the result of a flawed police investigation, resulting in a tragic miscarriage of justice.

In the opening episode we will explore the following:

· Mindy as a person, and her family's fight for what they believe is a miscarriage of justice

· Background to Mindy’s affair with Sair

· The initial police investigation

· Mindy’s own account of what happened when she visited Sana

TEASE – Next week

· We hear from the police officer that lead the police investigation

· Hear the initial 999 emergency call

· Mindy’s best friend describes her conversations with Mindy on the day of the murder

· We begin to piece together the timeline of Mindy’s movements

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In this episode we start to break down the police and prosecution case against Mindy and what it was that lead to her being convicted of the furious and brutal murder of 17-year-old Sana Ali, the wife of her lover.

On the day of the attack Mindy speaks to her best friend Sheetal, both on her way to confront Sana and also immediately after she leaves the house. In Sheetal’s own words, we hear details of the exact conversations she had with Mindy.

We hear more from Mindy as she describes what happened and who she spoke with after visiting Sana.

Sana was found by her two sisters in law’s who were so concerned for her safety, that they went around to the house to check on her only to find her on the floor, covered in blood with a knife alongside her. Their initial reaction and observations are that Sana had killed herself. We hear the details of the initial 999 emergency call and start to understand more as to why Sana’s family were concerned about her welfare.

We hear from the police officer who was in charge of the investigation, retired Detective Chief Superintendent Jane Antrobus. DCS Antrobus gives an insight into her investigation, why the case was initially treated as a suicide, and how after medical evidence from Dr Lumb, a Home Officer forensic pathologist, Sana’s death was instead considered as a homicide.

DCS Antrobus gives us an understanding of the dynamics of this three-way love triangle and how Mindy entered into a Mut'ah with Sair, a temporary marriage which under the eyes of Allah allowed him to conduct his relationship with Mindy.

The crime scene is described by the attending paramedics which feeds in to forensic expert Dr Woods evidence around blood pattern analysis and specifically where he believed Sana was during the furious attack.

We hear why the paramedics considered that Sana was alive and took her to hospital in an attempt to save her life.

In this episode we introduce David Wells, as he presents evidence from the police and prosecution, a role which he will adopt for future episodes.

We also consider how Sana would have been capable of moving around the bedroom after she had received her wounds.

TEASE – Next week

· We hear more from Mindy’s family about what they knew about Mindy’s affair and the initial police investigation.

· The police officer leading the murder investigation explains how they never established ownership of the knife.

· The officer also explains how she believes Mindy was able to carry out this brutal attack without getting a drop of blood on her clothes or body.

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In this episode we hear more from the police officer who was in charge of the investigation. She describes the police investigation in detail and is challenged on some of her views and theories.

With the help of solicitor David Wells, we explore some of the key evidence that the police relied on and look to challenge some of the assumptions made.

We also explore in greater detail the injuries that Sana had to her body carefully considering each wound. We consider the view of the pathologist Dr Lumb, who stated that he could not exclude the possibility that the injuries were inflicted by one or more assailants in an attempt to mimic self-inflicted injuries. We question what this means and how he came up with this view.

This episode also looks at what the police did in identifying and then ruling out other suspects, and Mindy’s mother gives an emotional account of the day that the police arrived at her door to arrest her daughter on suspicion of murder, and how she found out that her daughter had been charged.

Careful consideration is given to the crime scene and the forensic evidence that was deduced from it by the blood pattern experts.

TEASE – Next week

· We consider any significance of the calls to Sana’s mobile phone

· Further examine Mindy’s account, with that of the police’s case

· Find very similar case in Italy

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By this stage of the investigation you should now have reached one of the following conclusions:

1) That the evidence stacks up - as per the prosecution case and Mindy was correctly convicted, or

2) That you have some concerns about the evidence, but not enough to feel that Mindy is the subject of a miscarriage of justice, or

3) That you have serious concerns about the evidence that convicted Mindy and like her family and friends believe that Mindy’s conviction is unsafe.

The police’s theory was that Mindy travelled to see Sana with the intention of killing her and making it look like suicide.

In this episode we explore this theory to see if it stands up to scrutiny or if any other evidence exists that could cast it in serious doubt.

We also consider the belief held by the police that Mindy attended the house and put on a full forensic suit without being noticed, that Sana was fully compliant whilst she did this and made no attempt to leave the bedroom.

Mindy’s timeline and recollection of events also come under close scrutiny. We piece together her movements by using CCTV footage and mobile phone data to see if her account is accurate. We also consider how she behaved before going into the house to see Sana and immediately afterwards. Was Mindy telling the truth about how she left the house or does evidence exist that shows she must have left via the kitchen window?

We hear vital evidence from Sana’s close friends and relatives about Sana’s state of mind, which shows just how low and unhappy she was.

This episode highlights the failings of another case, an unsolved murder in which the pathologist‘s findings were clearly wrong.

We also hear from an Italian forensic pathologist, Professor Di Vella, about a very similar case.

TEASE next week

· Challenge the police officer in charge of the case over some of her theories

· Try to track down Sair

· Hear more about the impact the case had and continues to have on the family.

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This episode opens up by looking closely at some of the evidence that was heard at court and considering in detail why the police formed the view that this was a murder planned to look like suicide. In order to examine this, the police officer that led the investigation is asked to explain this theory.

We carefully consider the nature of all of Sana’s injuries, how they occurred and how they were recorded by the pathologist. In addition, we consider the new research that has been done worldwide about suicides by sharp force instruments.

We ask again, did Mindy really turn up at the scene with a full forensic suit and with two pairs of gloves, which the police say she wore during the frenzied knife attack on Sana. Even the highly experienced forensic pathologist Professor Di Vella, did not believe that Mindy had carried out such an attack in a full forensic suit.

All the evidence is pulled together to allow you, the listener, to decide if you agree that Mindy brought with her and wore a full forensic suit or if his is a fanciful theory dreamt up by the Police to try to explain the murder charge.

We examine and consider what evidence the police had to prove that the knife, which was left at the scene alongside Sana, was actually owned by Mindy, who the police claim was highly skilled and very forensically aware.

I question the senior investigating police officer over the issues regarding the homicide theory, as opposed to the suicide reports that originally came in.

Mark: Could it be this, and the one thing I always come back to, is that when it looks like it’s something it probably is

Senior Investigating Police Officer: If it looks like a duck and it quacks then it probably is a duck

Mark: If it looks like suicide, the knife laying there beside them, it probably is suicide

Senior Investigating Police Officer: Well that’s your theory

We consider reports from Muslim mental health professionals about the deep-rooted stigma around suicide in Islam and how Dr Hendin describes suicide as self-punishment.

The reveal of this episode is the new evidence uncovered, with two reconstructions, that are available to view on out website, www.the-detective.co.uk, showing the significant failings of the initial pathologists’ evidence.

And ultimately this episode ends the run of Series 2, that is for now, by asking you to consider all the evidence from both sides and decide one of the following: That Mindy is a very dangerous killer, or that Sana’s death was a tragic suicide leading to a Miscarriage of Justice.

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