A woman accused of murdering two children in an arson attack had been in two fights with the victims' family before the fire at their home, a court heard.

Police were called both times and Riaz Munshi, 26, and her sister Fiaz were arrested and charged after the second confrontation in the Westgate Centre, Oxford, on June 9, 1997.

Anum Khan, nine, died in the fire at her home in Magdalen Road, east Oxford, on August 26 last year. Her brother Majid, 15, died two days later as a result of his burns.

Riaz Munshi, who is one of six accused of the two murders, told Birmingham Crown Court yesterday (Nov 3) that she resented the Khan family but did not want revenge. She and her sister blamed the Khan family for their having been thrown out of Oxford by their own brothers who were angered at their refusal to conform to a traditional Muslim lifestyle.

The Khan family discovered that Fiaz Munshi was having a relationship with their son Amjad, 24, the brother of Anum and Majid, when he was jailed at Oxford Crown Court for heroin dealing.

The Khans then started spreading rumours about the two sisters saying they were 'prostitutes or no better than prostitutes', the court heard.

Riaz Munshi told the jury she and her sister were angry about this and later made rude gestures at female members of the Khan family in the street to get back at them. The Munshis then went to visit Amjad in Bullingdon Prison but could not get to see him as his family was already there.

Later that day, Mrs Mafooz Khan, Amjad's mother, turned up at their house in Freelands Road with her daughters Annis and Shahnaz and her son Majid to speak to Fiaz.

Riaz told the jury that they shouted insults at her sister, called her a slag and demanded that she keep away from Amjad.

Riaz later told police, who considered prosecuting the Khans after the fight, that her hair was grabbed and she suffered bruises when she was kicked. The two families then had another fight a month later in the Westgate Centre when they had to be pulled apart by passers-by until police and security men arrived.

Riaz said that her sister started the argument by calling the Khans slags and attacking them when they approached. The court heard earlier that Fiaz then blackmailed her sister to go to Oxford and fight Shahnaz on the night of the fire.

Riaz told the jury yesterday that it was Fiaz, who has fled the country, who was the fiery one and the one who wanted revenge.

Then it emerged that Riaz had to be pulled off Haq Nawaz, another of the accused, as they left court after fellow defendant Alan Swanton gave evidence earlier in the trial.

Riaz told the jury: "Haq started laughing at me and he winked at Swanton. I was upset. We are on a murder trial, there are two kids that have died, the family sits in the public gallery crying, we go behind there and they started laughing."

The six charged with the two murders are Alan Swanton, 18, of Southern Way, Letchworth, Hertfordshire; brothers Mohammed Nawaz, 21, and Haq Nawaz, 31, both of Ridge Road, Letchworth; Thomas Liedl, 18, of Birdshill, Letchworth; Haroon Sharif, 21, of Morrell Avenue, Oxford; and Riaz Munshi, 26, of Fulwell Road, Sheffield. They all deny the charges.

The case continues.

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