West Midlands Police apologise for errors that led to the murder of two women

West Midlands Police issued an apology tonight after the shocking murder of a mother and daughter in 2018.

Raneem Oudeh, 22, and her mother Khaola Saleem were both brutally stabbed to death outside their home in Northdown Road, Solihull, on 27 August 2018 by Oudeh’s estranged husband who had followed them home.

Janbaz Tarin, from Birmingham and aged 21 at the time of the killings, admitted to the heinous double murder when he was arrested after he went on the run and was arrested after a three day manhunt.

Tarin – who was enraged that Oudeh had found out about his secret wife and children and had dumped him – was jailed for 32 years in December 2018.

Tragically, the victims had made repeated calls to West Midlands Police on the night when they were being threatened – and attacked – by Tarin at a restaurant but no help arrived.

Sadly, the final call to the police – where the poor victims begged for officers to come to their assistance – was made as they were being fatally stabbed by the killer.

The heartrending screams of Oudeh were heard in her final phone call as Tarin stabbed her to death.

At an inquest into the appalling murders the jury found police errors “materially contributed” to the deaths of the mother and daughter.

Also, a long line of domestic abuse reports against Tarin had been ignored by the police. Tarin had exposed Oudeh to mental and physical abuse which culminated in a brutal knife attack outside her home in Solihull.

West Midlands Police issued an apology to the family of the victims for the errors that contributed to the heartbreaking tragedy.

Assistant Chief Constable Andy Hill, said: “The murders of Raneem Oudeh and her mother Khaola Saleem in 2018 are among the most shocking and appalling crimes in our region in recent years.

“On behalf of West Midlands Police, I would like to apologise to Raneem and Khaola’s family – we should have done more.

“More could have been done to protect Raneem from the campaign of domestic abuse that she suffered in the months leading up to her death at the hands of the man who would go on to kill her and her mother.

“It is clear that we should have done more to join-up the incidents of abuse that were being reported to us so that the officers considering Raneem’s case had a full picture of the ordeal that Raneem was enduring at the hands of Janbaz Tarin.

“We should have done more to safeguard Raneem, by considering appropriate interventions such as a domestic violence protection order or a referral to the Sanctuary Scheme, which could have made her home a safer place.

“Of course, none of this will undo the devastation that the murders of Raneem and Khaola caused to their family.

“Above all, our thoughts are with them today and again I offer our apologies.”