A new TV drama will detail the real-life legal investigation into the so-called ‘honour killing’ of 20-year-old Banaz Mahmod.
Mahmod was murdered in 2006 on the orders of her father and uncle after leaving the husband her family had arranged for her to marry.
Honour, which airs on ITV on 28 and 29 of September, will explore the legal fallout of the case from the perspective of DCI Caroline Goode of the Metropolitan Police, who led the investigation into the murder.
Seven men from the London Iraqi Kurd community were eventually prosecuted for the crime.
Bekhal Mahmod, Banaz’s sister – who now lives in witness protection under a different name after assisting with the prosecution – helped the drama come to fruition.
Speaking to Mark Lawson of the Guardian newspaper, Bekhal said she hopes that Honour will draw attention to a neglected issue and reduce the risk of similar violence occuring in future.
“It shows how the police found the Iraqi Kurdish community; it’s such a tight-knit community, so hush-hush and secretive”, said Bekhal. “I hope that by shining a light on this issue, it might prevent what happened to Banaz from happening again”.
