Chelmsford: Man Jailed For Murder

11 June 2012, 17:00

A failed asylum seeker who murdered his Essex girlfriend in London has been jailed for 10 and a half years.

Ako Amin,19, was sentenced at the Old Bailey for strangling Cheryl Tariah on February 7, the day after he was told he would be deported back to Iran

She came to visit him at the hostel where he was living in Barkingside, east London that day and the couple argued.

Amin, who was described as 'controlling and jealous', then hit the college student on the neck with a hammer before strangling her. 

He was arrested three days later hiding in the back of a lorry at Dover, trying to flee the country.

Sentencing him, Judge Richard Marks QC said: 'You were possessive, controlling and jealous and you were obsessed about her infidelity, although there is no evidence at all to substantiate the belief that you expressed that she was seeing anybody else.'

Amin was jailed after pleading guilty to murder on Monday afternoon, and told that he will be deported back to Iran on his release.

He met Cheryl a Chelmsford College Student via a social networking website and for around a year they had an on-off relationship. 

Her friends said he tried to control her, repeatedly accused her of being unfaithful and even hacked into her Facebook and email accounts to change the passwords so that she could not send any messages.

Judge Marks told him: 'This was a shocking incident in which a young woman has lost her life and the consequences to Cheryl Tariah's mother can only be imagined.

'She lost her husband in 2010 and is left by herself to look after a severely autistic son. 

'No doubt Cheryl would have been a great comfort and support to her in that task but she no longer has that comfort and support through your selfish and wicked behaviour.

'I hope that you ponder for the rest of your life what you did that day for it was shocking and appalling and unforgivable.'