It’s one of the most mysterious and horrifying cases Greater Manchester has seen in recent years. On a balmy summer’s evening, a group of children were playing in the street between rows of terraced houses.
It had been Eid and families on East Street, Bury, were enjoying the last of the festivities. But as the celebrations drew to a close, a howl of terror pierced the air.
Moments later, a woman ran into the street engulfed in flames, drenched in a flammable liquid. Within seconds, frantic neighbours surrounded her hit her with pillows and cushions.
READ MORE: Death of woman who ran into street on fire remains a mystery
As the woman fell to the kerb, they threw pots and pans of water over her head. In the end, their efforts were in vain. Sarah Hussain, 31, suffered horrific burns to her body. She died in hospital the next day.
Three years on, the truth about what happened is still not known. This week, a coroner delivered an open conclusion following an inquest at Rochdale Coroners’ Court.
Lisa Judge ruled Sarah’s death was not suicide, but added: “But if she didn’t kill herself, who did? It is that answer I am unable to provide on the balance of probabilities.”
Following the horrific incident, three men were arrested on suspicion of murder, including Sarah’s husband Waqas Mahmood, the inquest was told. They were later released without charge. Mr Mahmood has since re-married, the coroner said.
The inquest heard Sarah used her final words to tell paramedics her husband was responsible. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) reviewed the evidence in the case on more than one occasion, but has not pursued criminal charges.
There are conflicting accounts of those who spoke to her after the incident, the inquest revealed. Several neighbours told police she claimed to have set herself ablaze, while she told paramedics her husband had ‘thrown liquid on her and set her on fire’, the coroner heard.
When officers arrived shortly after 7.30pm on July 23, 2021, Sarah was sitting at the side of the road, it was said. A crowd of people were gathered around her. The flames had died down, but she was severely burned.
Although in immense distress, she was still conscious and breathing. The first police officer on scene headed towards her home, the inquest was told.
They were greeted by Sarah’s brother-in-law, Hasnain Mahmood, who had been in the house shortly before she was set alight, it was said. He blamed Sarah, informing the officer she had set herself on fire after pouring a bottle of white spirits over her own head, the inquest heard.
Several more officers then arrive at the scene. They taped off the street and speoke to witnesses, but not one of them interacted with Sarah, the coroner heard. By the time she slipped into a coma later that evening, it was too late.
While the aftermath of the shocking incident was captured on CCTV and body-worn footage, the moment Sarah was set alight was not. Detectives relied on the accounts of those who were there, or had spoken to her. It became clear two different stories were emerging, the coroner was told.
Shamin Ahmed, one of the neighbours who helped Sarah, said she had told her that she set herself alight because her husband was ‘having an affair’, the court heard. Another, the coroner was told, said Sarah claimed to have ‘put fire on herself’, before adding: “They told me to kill myself. They told me to do it.”
Sarah gave a different version of events to ambulance staff, it was heard. The inquest was told Niamh Nolan, the first paramedic on scene, said Sarah had told her: “He poured it, he did it.”
Ms Nolan’s colleague, Hannah Gaskell, also recalled hearing Sarah saying ‘he poured it on me’, the inquest heard. Ambulance worker Vaqas Iqbal said Sarah repeatedly informed him and his colleagues that ‘her husband did it’, the coroner was told.
Senior paramedic Duncan Mayoh said Sarah claimed ‘her husband had thrown liquid on her and set her on fire’. After hearing several days of evidence last year, coroner Lisa Judge halted the inquest to allow the police body-worn footage to be enhanced in a bid to establish what Sarah had said.
When the inquest resumed in July, Detective Sergeant Mark Evans, who carried out the review, said the enhanced footage captured Sarah saying she ‘want[ed] to give a statement’.
The comment was not made directly to a police officer and it was unlikely they would have heard her amid the commotion on the street, he added. In the footage, Sarah was also saying something else: “Waqas Mahmood did this to me.”
‘There were so many fights and arguments’
Sarah Hussain and Waqas Mahmood met in the spring of 2020. It was the height of the coronavirus pandemic and the UK was in lockdown. Despite the tight restrictions, the relationship blossomed.
After growing up in a poor village in northern Pakistan, Sarah moved to the UK in September 2012 to get married. She went to live with her then-husband in Oldham and found a job at Tesco.
When the marriage ended in divorce seven years later, Sarah briefly moved to Italy before returning to Oldham. She began working at Morrisons in Rochdale, where she was introduced to Waqas Mahmood.
Just weeks earlier, Mr Mahmood had divorced his wife of ten years, Kierran Kayani. Their marriage had broken down over Mr Mahmood’s heavy drinking and violent behaviour, Ms Kayani would later claim in evidence heard by the coroner.
Despite having known each other for only a matter of weeks, Sarah and Mr Mahmood agreed to marry. In June 2020, family and friends gathered inside the Mahmood family home on East Street for the wedding.
Giving evidence at the inquest, Mr Mahmood described the marriage as a ‘transaction’, adding that he and Sarah planned to have children together.
Sarah moved into his family’s home on the outskirts of Bury town centre, but it was not long before cracks began to emerge, the court heard. Mr Mahmood and Ms Kayani continued to share custody over their three children and Sarah became increasingly suspicious about her husband’s relationship with his ex-partner, the inquest was told.
She and Mr Mahmood would often argue about him visiting Ms Kayani, and she shared her concerns with family and health professionals, the court heard.
“She used to ring and cry on the phone,” Zaheera Bibi, Sarah’s mother, told the inquest. “There were so many fights and arguments between them.”
During a family visit to Pakistan in 2020, Ms Bibi said her daughter burst into tears and ‘seemed worried’ about returning to the UK.
Things did not improve when she did. In January 2021, Sarah wrote in her diary that she had been ‘forced’ to go to Asda while Mr Mahmood’s ex-wife was at their home, the court heard. She suspected her husband was ‘hiding something’ and ‘wanted to rekindle his relationship with his ex-wife’, the coroner was told.
The following month, Sarah attempted an overdose and was taken to hospital. She told medics Mr Mahmood had urged her to ‘kill herself’ during an argument, it was said in court.
“She told us her husband was going to divorce her the next day and take back his wife then she would be thrown out of the property,” paramedic Lisa Wright said. “She said she had no money, support or place to live.”
Ms Wright said Sarah ‘did not know what to do’ as she was ‘totally reliant’ on Mr Mahmood. “She didn’t feel she had anywhere else to turn to,” she added. “She was very isolated.”
Sarah would later tell her GP that she took the overdose ‘in frustration’, accusing Mr Mahmood of ‘neglecting and ignoring’ her, the court heard.
She was determined to make her marriage a success, it was said.. In a diary entry later that month, the court heard she wrote: “I want to spent my life with him. I want to laugh with him but every day he is disappointing me.”
In March 2021 – four months before her death – the inquest was told Sarah wrote: “I’m not feeling myself. It’s the worst day of my life. My husband said to me my face is like p****. I love him but he says I’m a bad person. I’m not a bad person.”
On the afternoon of July 23, Sarah made a video call to her mother and family back in Pakistan. Ms Bibi said her daughter seemed ‘happy’ during the conversation and promised to call back later, it was said.
Following the call, Sarah went shopping in Bury town centre with Mr Mahmood, the court heard. They came home and ordered a takeaway. There appeared to be no signs of the horror that was about to unfold, the inquest was told.
That evening, Sarah became aware of a family issue back in Pakistan and used Mr Mahmood’s phone to call his father, who was on holiday in the country at the time, and asked him to help resolve the situation, the coroner heard.
After the call ended, Sarah was scrolling through the phone when she stumbled across some messages between Mr Mahmood and his ex-wife, the court was told.
She burst into the living room and confronted Mr Mahmood, who was drinking brandy and watching TV with Hasnain Mahmood and their nephew, Murtza Safeer, the coroner heard.
What happened next remains unclear. The accounts of those who were inside the property differ but, at some stage, Sarah’s clothing was doused in flammable liquid before her clothing was set on fire, the court heard.
Giving evidence, Hasnain Mahmood said that shortly after Sarah confronted his brother, he found her in the kitchen pouring a bottle of white spirit over her head.
“I asked her ‘what are you doing?’,” he added. “She said ‘I want to kill myself… I want to light myself on fire’.”
Around that time, CCTV footage showed Hasnain Mahmood talking to a distressed-looking Sarah in the back yard, the court was told. He was seen ‘manhandling’ her before appearing to ‘pull’ her back in the house, it was claimed in court.
Hasnain Mahmood said he took Sarah outside after she attempted to switch on a gas hob. Six minutes before she ran into the street engulfed in flames, Sarah made a 999 call to police in which she expressed disappointment in her husband, it was heard in evidence.
In a mix of broken English and Punjabi, the court heard she told the operator: “He goes to her house every day. This person has made my life difficult. He is such a vile, mean person.”
At the time she was set on fire, only Sarah and her husband were inside the property, it was said. Mr Mahmood said his wife seemed ‘normal’ and he was not aware that she had white spirits on her. He claimed his wife had sat next to him on the sofa before setting herself on fire.
“She got up and got the lighter and everything just went boom,” he told the court. “All I could see was flames.”
Mr Mahmood would later tell paramedics he had carried his wife out of the house – a claim contradicted in court by horrific CCTV footage that showed Sarah running out in the street, followed by her husband.
He attempted to put out the flames by hitting Sarah with towels, cushions and blankets before leaving the scene. Sarah remained on fire for several minutes.
When the flames were out, a group of woman helped to remove her burning clothes, but she had already suffered extensive burns. After leaving the scene, Mr Mahmood made a series of phone calls, including to his ex-wife, the court heard.
Ms Kayani initially told police =Mr Mahmood seemed ‘worried and out of breath’ during the call, the court heard. “He said his wife had burned herself and asked me to pick the children up,” she added.
She would later claim that her initial account was incorrect and that he told her he was ‘going to get done for manslaughter’ during the call – an allegation Mr Mahmood would accuse her of inventing after meeting a new partner.
When Mr Mahmood returned to the scene, he was seen speaking to Hasnain Mahmood and Mr Safeer, the court was told. PC Adesara said he ‘could not understand’ why the men had not gone to check on Sarah, who was being treated by paramedics.
As Waqas Mahmood was checked over for minor injuries to his hands and face, PC Adesara said he showed ‘no concern’ for his wife. “He had not asked once how his wife was,” he told the court. “I asked how he was and he replied while smiling and laughing: “I’m okay.”
“I thought this was strange, his lack of concern for his wife.” Sarah was taken to hospital and died the next day.
Interviewed by detectives after his arrest, Mr Mahmood denied setting fire to his wife, or pouring the white spirit on her, the court heard. “My life is finished,” the court heard he said. “It’s over in one day.”
He claimed Sarah had ‘done it to herself’ and he had ‘saved her’. “I put myself at risk,” he added, the court heard. “She is my wife and I’m the one who saved her and I get arrested for it.”
After learning that his wife had told paramedics that he set her alight, Mr Mahmood accused her of ‘wanting sympathy’, the coroner heard.
In the days that followed, flowers piled up at the junction of East Street and Cecil Street as forensic officers combed the inside of the Mahmood family home. Two open bottles of accelerant were found in the kitchen, as well as liquid on the floor nearby, the court was told.
Five lighters were recovered from the address, although investigators were unable to determine which was used to set Sarah alight. However, tests revealed DNA matching both Waqas Mahmood and Hasnain Mahmood on a lighter with its edges melted – found near to where Sarah is believed to have been on set on fire, the inquest was told.
DNA matching both Waqas Mahmood and Hasnain Mahmood was also found on a lid removed from one of the two white spirit bottles, the inquest was told. Sarah’s DNA was also on the lid – and that of the second bottle, the evidence showed.
After being doused in accelerant, the back of Sarah’s tunic was set alight, it was said. Fire investigator Emma Wilson told the inquest that Sarah would have had to ‘reach around’ herself to have started the fire.
“It would seem more likely that the wearer would ignite it in an accessible location,” Ms Wilson added. “It’s less likely she would reach around to ignite it at the rear.”
The failure of police to speak to Sarah before she slipped into a coma has since been identified as a ‘missed opportunity’ by detectives, the inquest heard.
Prior to the inquest, the coroner said she intended to look at how Sarah’s ‘statements were made and who was in close proximity when the statements were made and whether at that point she [Sarah] was aware of the whereabouts of other people’.
Detective Chief Inspector Daniel Clegg, who led the investigation, said some witnesses refused to provide statements to police. One person who did come forward was Zahra Khan, who was visiting her grandmother in East Street that evening. After hearing ‘screaming’ outside, Ms Khan went to help Sarah.
Ms Khan recalled several members of Mr Mahmood’s family arriving at the scene shortly after Sarah ran into the street ablaze.
“They were saying she was not right in the head mentally,” she told the inquest. “They kept saying she has not done it because of Waqas. They have no problems.”
Over the coming days, Ms Khan told the court Mr Mahmood’s relatives made ‘persistent’ phone calls to her family, urging them ‘not to say anything’ to police.
“I don’t know why they kept trying to make us not say anything and not get involved,” she said. “If he has not done anything, you have nothing to worry about.”
She described Mr Mahmood’s family as ‘pushy’ in court, adding: “They have a presence in Bury. People usually find them intimidating.”
After arriving at the scene, paramedic Niamh Nolan said a man introduced himself as Sarah’s brother-in-law, and told her she had ‘mental health issues’ and had ‘done it to herself’.
“He was quite adamant for me to know that she had done it to herself,” Ms Nolan later recalled, giving evidence.
Ms Mahmood’s ex-partner Ms Kayani later told police about an incident that occurred in November 2022 – 16 months after Sarah’s death, the court heard. The coroner was told she said a drunk Mr Mahmood turned up at her home and began banging on her door while shouting: “You f****** b****, where are the kids?”
The court heard, is allegedly added: “Watch what I do to you. You’re going to be six feet under like Sarah.”
After a lengthy inquest process, coroner Lisa Judge delivered her findings on Friday (September 6). Addressing a tense courtroom, she said: “The evidence I have heard and my findings made do not allow me to decide on any conclusion other than open attaches to this case.”
Ms Judge said she was ‘satisfied that there is a possibility’ that Sarah poured the flammable liquid on herself after being ‘implored’ to do so by others, but added: “I’m less satisfied that she engaged in self-immolation, an act that would end her days in torturous pain and agony.”
The coroner described Mr Mahmood’s evdience as ‘wholly unreliable’, adding that he had sought to ‘blame Sarah and distance himself from his involvement’ and had ‘exaggerated his response to the fire’.
“His recollection was minimal, fractured and inconsistent with others,” the coroner said. She added: “His actions showed a wholesale lack of care for his wife and went further – an absolute disregard for her wellbeing.”
She described the evidence of Hasnain Mahmood as ‘wholly unconvincing’ and said he had ‘exaggerated’ his account. “There are many occasions where what he says simply cannot be true,” she said.
Ms Judge added: “There was, I find, a more sinister reason for the exaggeration. That was to place blame on Sarah for her actions and exonerate Waqas Mahmood.”
Describing Sarah as a ‘much-loved daughter, granddaughter and sister’, Ms Judge said: “Her death has caused her mother and family untold anguish and upset.”
Sarah’s death is still talked about on East Street, where the tight-knit community remains scarred by what happened. When the Manchester Evening News visited earlier this week, many residents were reluctant to talk.
One neighbour, who helped Sarah in the aftermath of the incident, described what she witnessed as ‘like something in a horror movie’.
“People still talk about it,” she said. “Seeing something like that was absolutely horrific.” The woman said she had never been interviewed by police. Asked what she can recall from that night, she said: “She was burned severely.
“We were pouring water on her.” She added: “They were a loving family. You would see them in Asda together as husband and wife.
“They would always be laughing and joking. They looked like they had a really good relationship. She [Sarah] was a really nice girl. I knew him [Waqas] really well, he’s a top lad.”
More than three years have now passed since Sarah Hussain died in one of the most horrific ways imaginable. After a police investigation and an inquest, her devastated loved ones still do not know what happened to her.
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