He Planned Her Death For Weeks”: Husband Jailed 26 Years for Killing, Burying Estranged Wife
“A UK court sentenced Alireza Askari to life imprisonment with a minimum of 26 years for the premeditated murder of his estranged wife, Paria Veisi, whose body he buried in their Cardiff garden after attempting to cover up the crime.”
“A UK court sentenced Alireza Askari to life imprisonment with a minimum of 26 years for the premeditated murder of his estranged wife, Paria Veisi, whose body he buried in their Cardiff garden after attempting to cover up the crime.”
A chilling case of betrayal, deception and calculated violence has gripped the UK after a man meticulously planned the killing of his estranged wife—then attempted to erase every trace of the crime. What began as a missing person report quickly unravelled into a disturbing story of premeditated murder that has left a family shattered and a community in shock.
Warning: This article contains details some readers may find distressing.
A 42-year-old man, Alireza Askari, has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 26 years for the murder of his estranged wife, Paria Veisi, whose body he buried in a makeshift grave at their former home in Cardiff.
Veisi, 37, was reported missing on April 12, 2025, after leaving work as a hairdresser. Her remains were discovered a week later in the garden of the property they once shared in the Penylan area of the city.
Askari admitted to the killing during a court hearing in January. Sentencing him at Cardiff Crown Court, Mrs Justice Stacey described the act as a “cold-blooded murder” and condemned his calculated attempts to evade justice.
“You murdered your wife in a pre-meditated plan hatched at least a month earlier,” the judge said. “She was taken completely by surprise and had no chance to defend herself.”
A post-mortem examination revealed multiple stab wounds to Veisi’s neck. Investigators believe the injuries were inflicted using a knife from a set Askari purchased on the day of the attack. The weapon has not been recovered.
The court heard that shortly after the killing, Askari enlisted the help of his aunt, Maryam Delavary, 48, who later admitted to perverting the course of justice. She was sentenced to five years and six months in prison.
Prosecutors revealed that Veisi’s body was buried in a temporary grave in the garden, concealed beneath a newly created flower bed. There were also plans to later “destroy the body chemically,” according to the prosecution.
Evidence presented in court showed that Askari made extensive efforts to cover up the crime. He changed clothes, visited a leisure centre to shower and entered a swimming pool in an apparent attempt to remove forensic traces. He later purchased cleaning supplies to eliminate bloodstains found in the conservatory where the attack occurred.
Despite these efforts, forensic investigators uncovered “extensive bloodstaining” at the scene.
In a further attempt to mislead authorities, Askari sent messages from Veisi’s phone to her employer and family, claiming she had travelled abroad and would be unreachable. However, concerns raised by friends and family prompted a police investigation.
Veisi’s sister, Hiria Veisi, delivered a heartbreaking victim impact statement in court, saying the loss had “shattered our family” and left them with a “broken heart that words cannot describe.”
“Irreversible suffering has been imposed on our family,” she said.
The court also heard that Askari had been in contact with a girlfriend abroad and had previously discussed plans to kill his wife—plans that were reportedly discouraged.
Rejecting claims of mental illness as a mitigating factor, the judge criticised the defendant for “cynically” attempting to use it as a defence.
“You killed your ex-wife because she wanted to leave you,” Mrs Justice Stacey said. “Your actions have destroyed her family’s happiness.”
