A brother and cousin were today given life sentences for the "barbaric" murder of a young woman who fell in love with the wrong man.

Samaira Nazir, 25, a graduate and recruitment consultant, was stabbed to death by her male relatives in the family home after they were angered by her wish to marry Salman Mohammed.

The Old Bailey heard that the Pakistani family disapproved of the Afghan asylum seeker, accusing him of being after their money.

Sally Howes, QC, prosecuting, told the court: "Following a heated argument about her relationship with Salman, she was attacked and killed. She lost her life for loving the wrong man."

::mpu::Samaira was attacked inside the family home in Abbotts Road, Southall, West London, in April last year by her brother Azhar Nazir, 30, and cousin Imran Mohammed, 17.

When she tried to escape, she was dragged back by into the house by her brother. She died after being stabbed 18 times and her throat cut by Mohammed, a youth with low intellect, who had "carried out the sentence of death passed".

The murder was witnessed by two young nieces who were spattered with blood. Samaira’s businessman father, who had also been arrested and bailed for the killing, fled to Pakistan and was claimed by the family to have died there.

Nazir, a greengrocer, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 20 years. Mohammed was ordered to be detained During Her Majesty’s Pleasure with a minimum term of 10 years.

Sentencing them, Judge Christopher Moss said: "This was a barbaric crime. She suffered a brutal, gruesome and horrific death. Samaira Nazir was an accomplished young woman who was murdered by members of her family because she insisted on marrying someone deemed unsuitable."

The judge told Nazir: "You were her judge and jury, although you may not have been alone. You claimed to have loved your sister, but were guilty of orchestrating her murder."

The judge lifted a ban on identifying Mohammed, a distant cousin of Samaira who treated him like another brother.

Outside court, Detective Inspector John Reid said: "This was a brutal and appalling murder of a girl because she fell in love with a man that her family did not approve of."

Nazir Afzal, area director of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "Samaira was murdered because she loved the wrong person, in her family’s eyes. In that sense, it was an ‘honour killing’ to protect the perceived status of the family, to mark their disapproval.

"We hope that Samaira’s death and the investigation and prosecution that followed will deter others who may wish to harm their own family members because of practices that are as tragic as they are outdated."

Times Recommends

• New era of council housing dawns
• Heritage wiped off the map by sat-nav
• Crowds come out for Titians