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Schoolgirl's body 'chopped up and mixed into kebabs'
Published by webmaster for 24dash.com in Communities
Thursday 24th May 2007 - 2:04pm
Post a comment Schoolgirl Charlene Downes. Photo: PA Wire
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A schoolgirl was murdered by a fast food shop owner who joked that she had been "chopped up" and had gone into the kebabs, a court heard today.
Charlene Downes, 14, was killed by Iyad Albattikhi, 29, owner of Funny Boyz fast food shop in Blackpool, who it is alleged had sex with the youngster he described as "kinky", Preston Crown Court was told.
Charlene was one a number of young white girls who went to "Paki Alley" in the town to have sex with older men who worked in the fast food shops, Tim Holroyde QC, prosecuting, told the jury.
Charlene, from Buchanan Street in Blackpool, was "well and happy", the court heard, but her home life was "chaotic".
Expelled from school, she spent her time hanging around shops on the Blackpool Promenade, and was last seen on the early evening of Saturday November 1 2003.
After kissing her mother goodbye she went off on her own - and vanished off the face of the earth, Mr Holroyde said.
A missing persons inquiry began but police later launched a murder investigation after information "leaked out" that the girl had been "killed and chopped up", the court heard.
No trace of Charlene's body has ever been found.
Mr Holroyde told the jury a witness heard Albattikhi and others talking about Charlene.
"These people were talking about sex with white girls, and there was mention of having sex with Charlene.
"Albattikhi laughed and said she was kinky and she was very small - the plainest possible indication that he was lying to the police when he said he did not know her.
"He and others present were then laughingly saying that Charlene had gone into the kebabs."
Albattikhi, a Jordanian immigrant, is charged with murder and his co-accused, his business partner and landlord Mohammed Reveshi, 50, originally from Iran, is accused of helping to dispose of the body.
Both deny the charges and have told police they never knew Charlene.
Albattikhi and Reveshi were joint owners of the fast food shop on Dickson Road in the town, the court heard, which the younger man ran on a daily basis.
Charlene became a "familiar figure" hanging around the shops where she would sometimes get free food.
"In addition," Mr Holroyde said, "she was one of a number of adolescent white girls who sometimes went at night to the alleyway behind the restaurants which they called by the unflattering name, Paki Alley.
"She and others went there to meet much older men from the restaurants, and it seems perfectly clear that there was at times some sexual activity."
Albattikhi took advantage of one of those vulnerable girls - Charlene Downes, the jury was told.
Mr Holroyde added: "It is the prosecution case that the background to the murder of Charlene Downes and the disposal of her body is some sexual activity between her and one or both of the defendants.
"Of course it goes without saying that sexual activity between these adult men and a 14-year-old girl would be a crime which could be expected to have serious consequences for them, so that they would have every reason to want to prevent the police ever getting to learn of it."
After Charlene's disappearance three-and-a-half years ago, both the accused were spoken to - and lied to police, telling detectives they did not know her, the court was told.
"And the reason for their lying is that one of them murdered her and the other helped dispose of her body," Mr Holroyde told the jury.
In 2004, Albattikhi fell out with his brother, Tariq, who told a witness, David Cassidy, he knew what had happened to Charlene - "she had been killed and chopped up and there had been a lot of blood," the court heard.
It is alleged Albattikhi then learnt of the conversation from his brother and telephoned Mr Cassidy warning "he would be dealt with" if he told anyone.
Mr Cassidy was also later offered a £20,000 interest-free loan from Reveshi - to buy his silence, it is alleged.
But Cassidy went to police in December 2004 and officers searched the flats of both accused men on Hornby Road in Blackpool.
Nothing was found - but detectives then bugged the premises and Reveshi's Fiat people carrier car to listen in on their conversations.
Mr Holroyde told the jury some of the tape recordings were difficult to decipher because of background noise, but parts of the tapes were "revealing".
Charlene's mother, father, two sisters and brother sat in the public gallery, sometimes in tears, as the covert police recordings were played.
In one tape, Reveshi speaks of his "surprise" that the police were bothering to investigate because "Charlene Downes was not even from a decent or important family".
Albattikhi is heard to say: "For some f****** bitch. She was a f****** Maiiah. A f****** horrible Maiiah."
Mr Holroyde said police had not discovered what "Maiiah" meant but it was a contemptuous reference to the dead girl.
In another tape, Reveshi said the words "eat the body", the court was told.
"That remark is said in a joking tone of voice, but it is extraordinary, is it not, for a man who claims to have had no knowledge of Charlene Downes to be talking in that way of her body being eaten," Mr Holroyde added.
Albattikhi is heard on one tape saying, "If they find anything I have f****** had it."
Mr Holroyde stressed there were differences of opinion between police and the prosecution sound expert over what was said on the tapes.
But both agreed that on one tape, Albattikhi said he "killed" while talking about Charlene.
Reveshi also asked him: "You did have her, are you easy with that?"
Albattikhi replied: "Yeah."
The tapes also revealed Reveshi speaking about "checking the burial place" and at one stage he broke down, sobbing, "I can't cope."
The tapes revealed the defendants "constantly rehearsing the story they want to give to police," Mr Holroyde said, but showed a "nagging fear" they would be caught because they had "something to hide and something to fear".
The trial was adjourned to tomorrow.
Copyright Press Association 2007
http://www.24dash.com/news/Communities/2007-05-24-Schoolgirl-s-body-chopped-up-and-mixed-into-kebabs
Published by webmaster for 24dash.com in Communities
Thursday 24th May 2007 - 2:04pm
Post a comment Schoolgirl Charlene Downes. Photo: PA Wire
Other Communities stories
Griffin: Barking 'is best chance' for BNP to win parliamentary seat
Boyfriend held after woman found dead in house fire
Police offer £5,000 reward after baby's body found at recycling plant
UK unemployment 'to peak in 2011' - research
London's City Hall to become a 'safe haven' for young people
Advertisement
A schoolgirl was murdered by a fast food shop owner who joked that she had been "chopped up" and had gone into the kebabs, a court heard today.
Charlene Downes, 14, was killed by Iyad Albattikhi, 29, owner of Funny Boyz fast food shop in Blackpool, who it is alleged had sex with the youngster he described as "kinky", Preston Crown Court was told.
Charlene was one a number of young white girls who went to "Paki Alley" in the town to have sex with older men who worked in the fast food shops, Tim Holroyde QC, prosecuting, told the jury.
Charlene, from Buchanan Street in Blackpool, was "well and happy", the court heard, but her home life was "chaotic".
Expelled from school, she spent her time hanging around shops on the Blackpool Promenade, and was last seen on the early evening of Saturday November 1 2003.
After kissing her mother goodbye she went off on her own - and vanished off the face of the earth, Mr Holroyde said.
A missing persons inquiry began but police later launched a murder investigation after information "leaked out" that the girl had been "killed and chopped up", the court heard.
No trace of Charlene's body has ever been found.
Mr Holroyde told the jury a witness heard Albattikhi and others talking about Charlene.
"These people were talking about sex with white girls, and there was mention of having sex with Charlene.
"Albattikhi laughed and said she was kinky and she was very small - the plainest possible indication that he was lying to the police when he said he did not know her.
"He and others present were then laughingly saying that Charlene had gone into the kebabs."
Albattikhi, a Jordanian immigrant, is charged with murder and his co-accused, his business partner and landlord Mohammed Reveshi, 50, originally from Iran, is accused of helping to dispose of the body.
Both deny the charges and have told police they never knew Charlene.
Albattikhi and Reveshi were joint owners of the fast food shop on Dickson Road in the town, the court heard, which the younger man ran on a daily basis.
Charlene became a "familiar figure" hanging around the shops where she would sometimes get free food.
"In addition," Mr Holroyde said, "she was one of a number of adolescent white girls who sometimes went at night to the alleyway behind the restaurants which they called by the unflattering name, Paki Alley.
"She and others went there to meet much older men from the restaurants, and it seems perfectly clear that there was at times some sexual activity."
Albattikhi took advantage of one of those vulnerable girls - Charlene Downes, the jury was told.
Mr Holroyde added: "It is the prosecution case that the background to the murder of Charlene Downes and the disposal of her body is some sexual activity between her and one or both of the defendants.
"Of course it goes without saying that sexual activity between these adult men and a 14-year-old girl would be a crime which could be expected to have serious consequences for them, so that they would have every reason to want to prevent the police ever getting to learn of it."
After Charlene's disappearance three-and-a-half years ago, both the accused were spoken to - and lied to police, telling detectives they did not know her, the court was told.
"And the reason for their lying is that one of them murdered her and the other helped dispose of her body," Mr Holroyde told the jury.
In 2004, Albattikhi fell out with his brother, Tariq, who told a witness, David Cassidy, he knew what had happened to Charlene - "she had been killed and chopped up and there had been a lot of blood," the court heard.
It is alleged Albattikhi then learnt of the conversation from his brother and telephoned Mr Cassidy warning "he would be dealt with" if he told anyone.
Mr Cassidy was also later offered a £20,000 interest-free loan from Reveshi - to buy his silence, it is alleged.
But Cassidy went to police in December 2004 and officers searched the flats of both accused men on Hornby Road in Blackpool.
Nothing was found - but detectives then bugged the premises and Reveshi's Fiat people carrier car to listen in on their conversations.
Mr Holroyde told the jury some of the tape recordings were difficult to decipher because of background noise, but parts of the tapes were "revealing".
Charlene's mother, father, two sisters and brother sat in the public gallery, sometimes in tears, as the covert police recordings were played.
In one tape, Reveshi speaks of his "surprise" that the police were bothering to investigate because "Charlene Downes was not even from a decent or important family".
Albattikhi is heard to say: "For some f****** bitch. She was a f****** Maiiah. A f****** horrible Maiiah."
Mr Holroyde said police had not discovered what "Maiiah" meant but it was a contemptuous reference to the dead girl.
In another tape, Reveshi said the words "eat the body", the court was told.
"That remark is said in a joking tone of voice, but it is extraordinary, is it not, for a man who claims to have had no knowledge of Charlene Downes to be talking in that way of her body being eaten," Mr Holroyde added.
Albattikhi is heard on one tape saying, "If they find anything I have f****** had it."
Mr Holroyde stressed there were differences of opinion between police and the prosecution sound expert over what was said on the tapes.
But both agreed that on one tape, Albattikhi said he "killed" while talking about Charlene.
Reveshi also asked him: "You did have her, are you easy with that?"
Albattikhi replied: "Yeah."
The tapes also revealed Reveshi speaking about "checking the burial place" and at one stage he broke down, sobbing, "I can't cope."
The tapes revealed the defendants "constantly rehearsing the story they want to give to police," Mr Holroyde said, but showed a "nagging fear" they would be caught because they had "something to hide and something to fear".
The trial was adjourned to tomorrow.
Copyright Press Association 2007
http://www.24dash.com/news/Communities/2007-05-24-Schoolgirl-s-body-chopped-up-and-mixed-into-kebabs
