A man who strangled his girlfriend on Christmas Day and dumped her body in the Grand Union Canal in Southall has been jailed for life.
Manzar Juma, 28, murdered 23-year-old Ruby Love the day before she agreed to resume their tempestuous relationship in which she had suffered domestic violence at his hands.
The couple has been living in Alliance Close in Wembley, before they separated in the autumn of 2011.
Juma contacted the Times claiming the flat was in a poor state of disrepair shortly before he killed Miss Love.
Following their break-up Juma moved to Northolt and Miss Love, who changed her name from Rubina Malik, was living with her mother in Harrow with her three children – the youngest two she had had with Juma.
The Old Bailey heard on Christmas Eve 2011 Juma collected Miss Love from outside her mother’s home and she sent a text message to a friend stating that they were back together again and he was going to take her out for a meal.
She also said she was planning visit her beforehand but the couple never showed up.
When the friend called her Juma answered the phone and denied any knowledge of such plans or having had any contact with Miss Love since their last split.
On Christmas morning between 1.30am and 1.45am a couple living next door to Juma heard shouting coming from his flat.
They also heard a faint female voice pleading “no”.
Around three hours later the same neighbours were woken by Juma re-entering their block of flats before leaving again and driving away in his Vauxhall Zafira.
CCTV captured the vehicle turning into Bankside, a quiet cul-de-sac which runs parallel to the Grand Union Canal at around 5.40am six hours before Miss Love’s body was discovered by a dog walker.
He had denied the murder.
Today he was jailed for life with a minimum tariff of 16 years.
Detective Chief Inspector Tim Duffield, investigating officer, said: “Today the truth finally caught up with Manzar Jama. Not only did he strangle Ruby and callously dump her body in a canal, he then wove a web of lies to try to avoid capture.
“Our deepest sympathies go out to Ruby Love’s friends and family as they try to come to terms with their loss and I hope that today’s conviction provides them with some small measure of solace.”
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