A bitter husband unwittingly hired an undercover p

A bitter husband unwittingly hired an undercover policeman to murder his wife to get custody of his children and his family home, a court heard today.

(Thurs)

Tariq Darwish, 42, was desperate to win back his two children after an acrimonious divorce, it was alleged.

He initially offered pnds stlg 10,000 to his pal, a local nightclub bouncer, to carry out the contract killing.

But Darwish’s friend, described as a local ‘tough man’ in Worthing, west Sussex, panicked and informed police.

Darwish later had two meetings with the undercover cop in which he handed a passport picture of Wafaa Darwish to the policeman and described her movements.

In the meantime Kuwaiti-born Darwish planned to leave the country, the court heard.

Prosecutor Timothy Langdale, QC, said Darwish hatched the plan after a failed attempt to spirit his two children away to Ireland.

But Darwish and a female companion only got as far as Wales when he crashed his car.

Meanwhile his wife, who was concerned her ex-husband had not returned her children that weekend, called police.

After the abduction episode he lost all custody rights to see his children so he hatched the plan to murder his wife, it was alleged.

‘It appears this setback to his plans and ideas were what caused him to set about doing away with his wife who by now represented a very frustrating inconvenience to say the least,’ said the QC.

Darwish then hired Worthing bouncer Tom Zahiri to kill his wife, it was claimed.

Giving evidence, Mr Zahiri said Darwish approached him in the garden of his home.

‘He asked me if I could kill his wife.

He wanted it to look like a theft or burglary that had gone wrong.

‘

Darwish offered him pnds stlg 10,000 in banknotes and offered him a further pnd stlg 60,000 of gold jewellery which his wife kept stuffed in a mattress, and pnds stlg 5,000 from the sale of the home they used to share.

A few days later Darwish handed him pnd stlg 10,000 and they counted the cash together, he told the court.

Mr Zahiri told the jury: ‘He said he would be out of the country and in Jordan, so he would have an alibi if he was questioned.

‘

Darwish also gave Mr Zahiri a passport photo of his wife, and told him when the children would be at school.

But Mr Zahiri panicked, gave Darwish back his money and told him the plan was ‘a crazy idea.

‘

Undaunted, Darwish said if Zahiri would not kill her he would get somebody who would.

Quick-thinking Mr Zahiri told Zahiri he would find a hitman for his friend but went to police behind his back, the court heard.

Darwish, of (24) Cranberry Avenue, Southampton, denies soliciting to murder his wife between 22 and 30 November 1999.

The trial continues.

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