NEWS
Will Hughes KC prosecutes and Benjamin Waidhofer defends in nationally reported case of murder, where the deceased’s body was found in the garden of the familial home
Will Hughes KC, leading Matthew Cobbe of 9 Park Place, Cardiff, was instructed by Louisa Robinson of the CPS Complex Case Unit Wales to prosecute the case of Alireza Askari and Maryam Delavary. Benjamin Waidhofer, led by Tom Crowther KC of 23 ES Chambers, was instructed by Nadeem Majid of M&M Solicitors to represent Maryam Delavary.
The case involved the murder of Mr Askari’s wife, Paria Veisi. The prosecution averred that Mr Askari had purchased a number of knives in advance of the murder specifically for that purpose, motivated by the fact that his wife wanted a divorce having left the familial home a fortnight earlier.
After the murder, Maryam Delavary travelled from London to Cardiff at the behest of her nephew, Mr Askari. The prosecution case was that Ms Delavary helped her nephew cover-up evidence that a murder had taken place the property by cleaning and then helping dispose of important evidence. Ms Veisi’s body was buried in the garden where a pond used to be by Mr Askari, with the site covered in new soil and plants. The prosecution asserted that this was intended to be a temporary grave, with the subsequent investigation revealing plans to move the body to a remote location and destroy it chemically.
On Friday 13 March 2026 at Cardiff Crown Court before Mrs Justice Stacey, Mr Askari was sentenced to life imprisonment, for the offence of murder with a minimum term of 26 years imprisonment. Ms Delavary, who had been charged with a number of offences, was sentenced to a total term of 5 years and six months’ imprisonment, following her plea of guilty to a single offence of perverting the course of justice.
Conduct of the case required particular care throughout proceedings. The opening of the case included careful presentation of multimedia evidence and particularly emotive victim impact statements. Mitigation undertaken over 2 days required detailed analysis of the evidence, including submissions advanced by Benjamin Waidhofer and eventually accepted by the Court, about the appropriate approach to sentence based on evidence obtained both (1) prior to the date of sentence; and (2) obtained during the course of the sentencing proceedings themselves.
The case has been the subject of national and international reporting, including at:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cz0gz7xlnkyo
https://nation.cymru/news/man-murdered-ex-wife-before-burying-her-in-garden-court-hears/
https://people.com/man-sentenced-killed-wife-hid-body-flower-bed-11929302?
Will Hughes KC and Benjamin Waidhofer are frequently sought out to advise upon the most high-profile and sensitive cases involving considerable factual and legal complexity. Both Will and Benjamin are frequently instructed in in cases involving the utmost gravity and have long been recognised as leaders in Criminal Law by both Chambers & Partners and Legal 500. Any queries about this matter, or any other, ought to be addressed to