Muslim Left Girlfriend to Die in Burning Car

On 2nd November 2008 at 3 am, Waqas Arshad, 24, crashed his car into a tree whilst driving drunk.

His 17 year old girlfriend Emily Brady (pictured above) was strapped into the passenger seat.

What happened next no one quite seems to have an explanation for.

Arshad climbed out of the car whilst Emily was still alive, making no attempt at all to help her get out of the wreckage. He ran towards the road screaming and waving his arms, but when witnesses arrived on the scene they said he was not speaking English so they could not understand what had happened.

The car then caught fire. Another witness dialled 999 - Arshad didn't even bother to call for help.

When the fire brigade arrived on the scene, they asked Arshad if there was anyone in the car, and he said no.

They proceeded to tackle the blaze, but by then it was too late for Emily. After discovering her carbonised remains in the wreckage, the fire officer again asked Arshad if there had been anyone else in the car.

He lied a second time, before trying to convince the emergency services that he was not the driver.

Arshad was arrested and charged. He was found to have cannabis in his system and be above the legal alcohol limit.

Whilst out on bail, he was stopped by police in the early hours and again found to be driving whilst drunk.

Emily's mother branded his behaviour 'despicable':

'I am shocked and distressed to learn at this hearing that Waqas Arshad denied she was in the car, made no attempt to rescue her, and in fact lied to the emergency services that she was in the car, trying to conceal her body.'

At Luton Crown Court yesterday Judge John Bevan QC warned Arshad that he faces a 'substantial' prison term.

The formal charges are causing death by careless driving while over the alcohol limit, and causing death by driving while uninsured.