"Naz Shah found it thrilling when she was arrested on suspicion of murder. I'll be honest with you, I had fun. It was the most excitement I'd ever had in my flipping life. I'd never been to a police station before. I was 18 and wet behind the ears. I was this really sheltered kid who'd been arrested. And I was like, they've got it wrong, so in my head it was all going to be over soon, the MP for Bradford West says."
"They took my clothes and gave me this white suit to wear, and I was saying, Ooh, I look foxy in this, don't I? Can you imagine taking me on a date in this?' I was having a right laugh with the police officers. Honestly, I was so naive. Shah's beloved Uncle Azam had died unexpectedly in April 1992. An autopsy revealed that he had been poisoned with arsenic. Shah and her mother, Zoora, who spoke little English, had cooked the previous night's supper."
"They were arrested and taken to different police stations. Shah was released. Zoora admitted that she had made the dessert that contained the arsenic. After a month-long trial, she was convicted of Azam's murder in December 1993 and sentenced to 20 years in jail. The excitement Shah had felt at the police station didn't last long. She tried to kill herself twice following her mother's conviction."
Naz Shah was arrested at 18 on suspicion of murder and initially found the experience thrilling and naive. Her uncle Azam died in April 1992; an autopsy found arsenic, and Shah and her mother Zoora were arrested after preparing the previous night's supper. Shah was released; Zoora admitted making the dessert and was convicted of Azam's murder in December 1993 and sentenced to 20 years. Shah attempted suicide twice after the conviction. She left school at 12, was forced into an arranged marriage at 15, raised her two younger siblings after her mother's imprisonment, later became a campaigner, held senior jobs, and served as an MP for eleven years.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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