A man has been jailed for life for murder after brutally assaulting and throwing a deaf Muslim woman from a car.
Earlier today, a judge at the Old Bailey sentenced Duane Owusu, 36, to a minimum of 16 years and six months in jail for the murder of Zahwa Mukhtar, 27, in Chadwell Heath, East London, on August 16, 2025.
A jury at the same court found Owusu guilty of murder last month.
Zahwa met the defendant in the early hours of August 16 while he was out with a group of people in Hackney. She joined the group, ultimately ending up in a car with them.
Around 04:30hrs there was a dispute and Owusu threw Zahwa out of the car at Chadwell Heath Lane.
Owusu then got out and attempted to kick Zahwa in the head twice before punching her. He got back in the car and fled the scene, leaving Zahwa unconscious by the roadside.
Shortly afterwards, police pulled the car over for a routine stop. A small quantity of drugs was recovered from the vehicle, and Owusu was caught on body-worn video behaving aggressively.
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Officers decided to allow the car to go, although the driver was to be invited for interview at a later date.
Passers-by then alerted the officers that a woman was injured by the roadside nearby. Police attended and commenced CPR on unconscious Zahwa. Sadly, she was pronounced dead by paramedics shortly after.
Having linked the car that was stopped earlier in the night to Zahwa’s death, the investigation team sought to trace the movements of the passengers.
They obtained graphic CCTV footage of the fatal assault, showing Owusu throwing Zahwa from the car, then attacking her.
Further CCTV footage showed Owusu and a passenger who had been in the car waiting for a taxi. Owusu was heard berating the other man for wanting to turn around and help Zahwa, referring to him as a “weak link.”
Owusu was arrested on August 17 and taken into police custody, where he gave a no comment interview. He was charged on August 18.
‘Vibrant personality’
Before handing down his sentence, Judge Richard Marks KC detailed the difficulties Zahwa Mukhtar experienced throughout her life.
“At the age of three, she developed meningitis, which had made her completely deaf in one ear and significantly so in her other ear,” he added.
The judge said she had a second bout of meningitis as a teenager and, despite her health battles, she “made great strides in her life”.
He noted Mukhtar’s job, working as a financial assistant at the Young Vic theatre and her “ambitions to become an accountant”.
“She was a vibrant personality who lived life and the victim impact statement from her brother on behalf of the family… describes how absolutely devastated all of her family are at their terrible loss,” Marks added.
Detective Chief Inspector Phil Clarke, from Specialist Crime North, said: “The sentence in this case reflects the severity of Owusu’s offending and our thoughts remain as always with Zahwa’s family and friends.”
Roy Pershad, for the Crown Prosecution Service, said it was a “senseless murder” and Mukhtar “should have been able to enjoy a night out without fear for her life”.
“Zahwa had her whole life ahead of her, but this was cut short by Duane Owusu, who subjected her to a wholly unprovoked assault,” he added.
“I hope this case shows how this type of violence against women and girls has no place in our society and we will not hesitate to prosecute offenders of these crimes so they face the consequences of their actions.”
