'Snapchat queen' Fatima Khan jailed for killing boyfriend

Fatima Khan Image copyright Met Police
Image caption Fatima Khan said she was ashamed of the video she made of Khalid Safi's dying moments

A woman who filmed her boyfriend dying in a pool of blood and put the video on social media has been jailed for 14 years.

Fatima Khan, 21, dubbed a "Snapchat queen", plotted with a love rival to kill Khalid Safi, 18, who she had been seeing for two years.

Mr Safi was repeatedly stabbed in the chest by Raza Khan in North Acton, London, in December 2016, jurors heard.

Khan was convicted of manslaughter after a trial at the Old Bailey.

Mr Khan remains on the run, the Met Police said on Friday.

Khan, described by her own defence barrister as "Ilford's Snapchat queen", filmed Mr Safi as he lay dying in the street and posted it on the picture-sharing app alongside an offensive message.

She wept uncontrollably as Judge Michael Topolski QC jailed her and said she had acted in a "cold and callous and despicable way".

The judge said her "disrespect for Khalid reached new and inhuman depths when in an act of grotesque contempt for him you calmly walked towards him as he lay dying".

"You filmed him in the process of dying and take a still picture of him all of which which you sent with that chilling message to all your Snapchat friends."

Image copyright Family handout
Image caption Khalid Safi was stabbed to death in December 2016

As with all Snapchat videos, the pictures would have been automatically deleted within 24 hours.

However, one of the group of friends who followed her online posts filmed the message which was used as key evidence in her trial.

Khan had denied murdering Mr Safi, saying she was "ashamed" of the video.

A jury cleared her of murder by joint enterprise but found her guilty of the alternative charge of manslaughter.

The court heard Mr Khan was "a rival for her affections" and Khan arranged for him to kill Mr Safi.

On the day of the killing, Mr Safi and Khan had gone to a Costa Coffee near to her work at Vigilant Security in North Acton.

Mr Khan then arrived in a minicab and walked up to the couple, holding a large knife.

Mr Safi produced a screwdriver and the pair fought for about 15 seconds before the victim was fatally wounded, the court heard.

Image copyright Met Police
Image caption Raza Khan is wanted for the murder of Khalid Safi

In mitigation at the sentencing hearing, Kerim Fuad QC said Khan had a "pathological obsession" with her mobile phone and the Snapchat app.

"It's become an increasingly worrying aspect of society that these devices are playing such a prominent role," he added.

Mr Fuad described Khan as an "attention-seeking princess".

The court heard she had previous convictions for assault, shoplifting and fraud dating back to when she was aged 14.

Det Ch Insp Mark Cranwell reiterated the Met's appeal for information to help find Mr Khan, who is wanted for Mr Safi's murder.

He added: "A petty argument over rival affections has escalated with a tragic outcome. If you know where [Raza] Khan is, I'd urge you to do the right thing and contact the police."