Burnley mum and daughter murders accused tried to blame girl, jury told

Saman Mir Sacharvi was found covered in soot in a bedroom while daughter Vian Mangrio was discovered in the lounge

A man who has been accused of murdering a doctor and her daughter made a "cynical attempt" to place the blame on the schoolgirl, a jury has heard.

Dr Saman Mir Sacharvi, 49, and her daughter Vian Mangrio, 14, were found at their fire-damaged home in Burnley, Lancashire on 1 October 2020.

Prosecutor David McLachlan told Preston Crown Court "my mum is evil" and "help me" were written on the house's walls.

However, he said it was not Vian, but Shahbaz Khan, 51, who wrote the words.

Mr Khan, of Ribble Avenue, Burnley denies two counts of murder and one of arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered.

The court was told the badly-burned body of Miss Mangrio was found in the lounge of the house, while her mother was discovered in a bedroom with her clothing doused in petrol and a fuel container next to her feet.

Post-mortem examinations revealed the doctor died from pressure to the neck and the schoolgirl of asphyxia.

Police found writing on the walls of the mother and daughter's home after they were found dead

The jury was told that the doctor and her daughter had recently been self-isolating at home in Colne Road as Miss Mangrio had had Covid-19 symptoms, and when police entered the house, they found writing on the wall.

Mr McLachlan told the court the writing "said things such as 'Covid 19 house my mum is evil', 'Covid home' and 'help me'".

"It is the prosecution case that this was a cynical attempt by Shahbaz Khan to portray the relationship between Dr Saman and her daughter Vian Mangrio as a bitter one in order to steer the blame away from him," he said.

Mr McLachlan said that instead, the handyman and part-time supermarket worker had killed the psychiatrist before Miss Mangrio arrived back home from school and then attacked her.

He said Mr Khan had previously carried out repairs at the family home and arrived at the home on 30 September to continue building work.

Mr McLachlan said when news of the deaths emerged in the following days, Mr Khan had told a friend he had last seen Dr Saman a few days ago when he put some picture frames up for her and said to someone else that he had not been at the house since the extension work.

Mr Khan was arrested on 4 October and a subsequent police search of his home uncovered a bag containing items of gold jewellery, worth tens of thousands of pounds, belonging to Dr Saman.

Mr Khan's wife Rabia Shahbaz, 45, denies doing an act intended to pervert the course of public justice, namely providing a false alibi for her husband.

The case continues.