A FATHER obsessed by his daughter's refusal of an arranged marriage tried to put out a contract for killing on the head of a man she married instead.

Meetings were held with a hired hitman who turned out to be a an undercover policeman.

Four thousand pounds was later handed over for the "killing" which never took place but led to the arrest of half a dozen men, a court has heard.

A jury at Preston Crown Court has heard that Mahboob Hussain, 46, of Snow Street, Blackburn, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to murder

Five Halifax men have gone on trial at Preston Crown Court after the denying the charge.

They are: Mohammed Yaqub, 50, Nazar Hussain, 45, Mohammed Tufail, 47, Imran Khalil, 27, and Mohammed Hanif, 35.

The case concerns the 22-year-old daughter of Yaqub called Shabina. In October 1997 she formed a relationship with someone called Zubair Qayum.

The relationship was despised by her father who wanted her to have an arranged marriage, the court was told.

But she refused to do that and the couple went on to marry in secret.

Mr Tony Cross, prosecuting, alleged that Mohammed Yaqub was a father of very strong Islamic tradition who ruled his home with a rod of iron. He became obsessed with a perceived sense of shame within his community and determined to resolve the problem.

That he did by hiring a contract killer to kill Zubair Qayum, his daughter's husband.

But Mr Cross said the contract killer was in fact an undercover policeman, referred to in the case as "Mick."

Mr Cross said: "He tried various ways to split the pair. Meeting with no success in the community, he decided more drastic action was called for. Over the following months Zubair was effectively stalked by Yaqub.

"So frightened was he and his family that police fitted an alarm at their home."

In January last year Yaqub was arrested for harassment.

"It was probably around this time that he decided to rid himself of Mr Qayum," added the prosecution. It is claimed that he enlisted the help of relatives and sympathisers.

One of those, Mahboob Hussain, a cousin, drove to the MFI car park, Blackburn, on May 6 last year, believing he was going there to meet a hitman.

Unknown to him, it was an undercover policeman using the name "Mick" and posing as a killer.

He said between then and May 22 there were to be three face-to-face meetings between him and Mahboob Hussain. Each time these were video and audio recorded. On May 22 there was a meeting with "Mick."Once money was handed over the police moved swiftly to arrest the men and also "Mick," to keep up the pretence, the court was told.

(Proceeding)