THE adulterous couple at the centre of a “botched honour-based arson attack” took to the witness stand yesterday.

Hafija Gorji, 22, of New Bank Road, Blackburn, insisted prosecutor Brian Cummings call her 'Hafija' because she was going through a divorce from husband Jamal Gorji.

Preston Crown Court heard that by January 2009, her marriage was effectively over because of arguments arising from her westernised lifestyle clashing with her 'more traditional' husband's views on what a wife's role should be.

The prosecution alleges that Hisamuddin Ibrahim, 21, ordered the firebombing of Mo Ibrahim’s home to punish him for having a sexual relationship with Hafija, his sister.

But the arsonists got the wrong house in London Road, Blackburn, and instead murdered innocent couple Abdullah and Ayesha Mohammed.

Hafija told the murder trial jury that as well as working as a nursery nurse and studying at college, she also tried to play the role of a traditional wife for her Indian-born husband.

She reluctantly admitted under prosecution questioning that she and Jamal were 'sleeping in separate beds' following a 'massive argument' by the time she met Mo Ibrahim at a wedding in Manchester in April.

But when that progressed to a sexual relationship, Jamal found a text from her lover on her phone and subjected her to 'physical abuse'.

On September 7, she rang the police and the jury were read a transcript of her conversation with a communications officer.

Hafija said: “The thing is I'm going out with this guy and my parents have just found out about it and they have threatened to go to his door.”

However, in court Hafija claimed she had been talking about Jamal finding out.

Jeffrey Samuels QC, representing her brother Hisamuddin Ibrahim – one of four defendants – asked if her family would have wanted Mo Ibrahim dead.

“Definitely not,” she replied.

She described her brother as a 'goody two-shoes', who lived at home with their parents and was a 'news junkie' who spent his social time away from working on the London Underground, on the internet or watching TV.

When challenged by Owen Davies QC, representing defendant Habib Iqbal, that she had come to court 'prepared to help her brother', she replied: “No, I've taken an oath. I have told the truth.”

Mo Ibrahim, who lives at 135 London Road with his parents and sister, told the court that Hafija didn't tell him she was married to Jamal at first, but eventually confessed her marriage was over and she was getting a divorce.

He received a phone call from Jamal who had seen a text on his wife's phone, sent from Mr Ibrahim, saying 'I want to hold you in my arms'.

Mr Ibrahim told the court: “We had a brief conversation.

He said 'this is Hafija's husband speaking. Just listen to what I've got to say'.

“He threatened to come to my doorstep with Hafija's dad and have a word with my dad.

“I threatened him back and said 'I'll come to your doorstep'.

“He asked if I was still in contact with Hafija. I said no.”

Mr Ibrahim told the court that he assured Jamal that the affair was 'truly over' ,and the phone call 'ended on good terms', but that was a lie.

In September 2009, Hafija asked him to go to her sisters to 'clarify a few things with her family by swearing on the Koran'.

He said: “I put my left hand on the holy book, said there's nothing going on.

“Me and Hafija agreed to keep things quiet so I didn't believe I actually said a lie.

“Obviously I care about Hafija and I wanted to do it for her.”

Asked what his religion would say if someone lied when swearing on the Koran, he replied: “Obviously it's a big sin.

“I had to do what I had to do, that's all it was.”

He added that they then contacted each other a few weeks later and the 'relationship resumed'.

Earlier, the court heard that Hafija had spent some time living with her auntie in India between 2005, as a 17-year-old, and got to know her auntie's son Jamal Gorji – her cousin.

They wed in 2006 and he stayed in India while she returned home to London to start visa proceedings so that her husband could come to live in the UK.

A year later, Mr Gorji went to Blackburn to stay with his brother and his wife Rizwana – Hafija's sister.

Hafija's father then gave her money to buy her own home in New Bank Road and the couple began to live as husband and wife.

But there were tensions because of Mr Gorji's more traditional Indian upbringing and Hafija's westernised lifestyle.

After the decisive row in September, he left the marital home and she changed the locks.

Hafija and Mo Ibrahim would go shopping to the Trafford Centre in Manchester and soon declared their love for each other.

They are still in a relationship.

All four defendants, Hisamuddin Ibrahim, 21, Sadek Miah, 23, Mohammed Miah, 19, and Habib Iqbal, 25, all from the East London area, deny the murder of Mr and Mrs Mohammed.

Sadek Miah has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of both.

(Proceeding).