Alireza Askari Sentenced to Life for Garden Burial Murder of Paria Veisi
A Cardiff court imposes a 25-year minimum term as details emerge of a calculated killing and a coerced cover-up involving chemical agents
Image: Matt Weston / AI
Sarah Connor
Alireza Askari will serve a minimum of 25 years and 37 days in prison for the brutal murder of his wife, Paria Veisi, whom he killed in their conservatory before interring her body in their garden.
Immediately following the killing, Askari dragged Veisi from the house to the garden. He deposited her in a makeshift grave he had excavated prior to the confrontation.
Prosecutor William Hughes KC detailed the mechanical sequence of the cover-up. Askari acquired specific chemical agents designed to accelerate the liquefaction and destruction of Veisi’s remains.
This forensic calculation dictated the court’s 25-year minimum term. The procurement of chemicals and the pre-planned burial site elevated the crime beyond a spontaneous act.
Prosecution evidence proved the violence was not an isolated impulse. Text messages recovered from Askari’s devices showed he formulated plans to kill Veisi while the couple resided in Iran.
Justice Stacey identified the motive as a direct reaction to Veisi’s autonomy. The court established that Askari killed her specifically because she ended the marriage.
The case also concluded the sentencing of Maryam Delavary, Askari’s aunt. She received five years and six months for perverting the course of justice.
Delavary pleaded guilty to assisting Askari in the destruction of evidence. Defence counsel Thomas Crowther KC described a woman operating under a history of subjugation.
Crowther stated Delavary reached the Cardiff property only after the murder had occurred. He argued that Askari secured her cooperation through immediate physical intimidation.
If you tell anyone, you will be sleeping next to her.
The defendant told her, 'If you tell anyone, you will be sleeping next to her.' This threat functioned as the primary mechanism of control during the disposal of the body.
Delavary’s legal team cited her history as a factor in her compliance. They noted she endured 20 years of domestic abuse from an ex-husband in Iran.
The defence characterized her as a subordinate acting under the command of an imperious nephew. Despite these claims, the court held Delavary accountable for her active role in the concealment.
Her sentence aligns with the five-year standard for those who participate in the hiding of a homicide. Meanwhile, Askari’s legal team attempted to pivot the narrative toward his psychiatric state.
Adam Sharp, representing Askari, argued that a longstanding mental illness served as a contributory factor. He sought to mitigate the sentence by questioning the defendant's capacity for rationale.
Sharp suggested there was no clear motive for the killing. This claim contradicted the prosecution’s evidence regarding the divorce papers and the prior Iranian plot.
Police recovered Veisi’s body following a meticulous excavation of the property. Officers located the burial site in the garden where Askari had interred her shortly after the conservatory attack.
The 25-year minimum term mandates that Askari remains incarcerated until at least his mid-fifties. This sentence accounts for the 37 days he has already spent in custody.
The proceedings highlight the lethal risks associated with domestic separation. The court’s findings emphasize that the destruction of evidence was as calculated as the initial strike.
The garden remains the primary evidence site of a crime that spanned two countries in its planning. The recovery of chemical agents provided the physical link to Askari’s intent to erase the victim.
Justice Stacey’s ruling concludes a legal process that exposed the intersection of domestic violence and forensic evasion. Askari began his life sentence immediately following the hearing.