The daughters of Stirling murder victim Ahdieh Khayatzadeh, who was set ablaze by her killer ex-husband, have described the man as “an animal”.
Glara and her 21-year-old twin sister Gloria Khayatzadeh spoke out following the conviction of their father, Ahmad Yazdanparast, who was found guilty after trial at the High Court in Edinburgh last week of the attack on the former hairdresser at Venus Hair and Beauty in Stirling last October.
The 61-year-old had used petrol to set fire to the mother of three because she was divorcing him.
His 46-year-old estranged wife suffered 95% burns in the attack but managed to tell a paramedic that her husband was responsible for the horrific crime.
Ms Khayatzadeh died after the fire at the Maxwell Place premises on October 12.
CCTV footage showed her killer buying fuel from a petrol station prior to making his way to the salon, which was next to his own takeaway kebab shop.
He then poured the fuel over Ms Khayatzadeh’s head and body and set her on fire.
During the two-week trial, jurors had heard that a court document produced last April said Mr Yazdanparast “does not want to be divorced” and that there was considerable tension between the pair who separated in August 2010.
Quoted in a national newspaper, Glara claimed both twin daughters hoped their dad would die following the incident.
“He got out with six per cent burns, but what he did to mum was so appalling I hate him all the more for that,” she said.
“What kind of animal does that to somebody elese?
“If I’m honest I was hoping he would die.”
She continued: “We were both home studying when we got a call from a friend to say there was a fire. I don’t know why, but I sensed immediately that he’d done something awful. It was instinct.
“He’d made threats before. Nobody actually ever said dad had done it we just knew. The shock was indescribable – it didn’t feel real.”
And Glara, of Stirling, praised her late mother who carried on working beside Mr Yazdanparast through the divorce and how the daughters were warned not to look at her injuries following the incident.
“Our mother wasn’t scared of him,” she commented.
“She was incredibly brave through the divorce. The fact she continued to work in her salon, right next door to his takeaway, says a lot about her character.
“She wasn’t going to be beaten by him. He felt like he was losing control. Mum had become financially independent.
“The nurse advised us to keep our eyes closed so that’s what we did (following her death). We went in separately with our eyes shut it was the most difficult thing I’ve ever had to do.
“I couldn’t even see my mother one last time when I was telling her I loved her.”
And sister Gloria added: “It was all about money. He (Mr Yazdanparast) had just found out mum was getting half of everything in the divorce settlement and that’s what triggered him.
“A few days before the attack, he was sitting in a friend’s car outside mum’s salon going through paperwork and looking really wound up he felt mum had won.
“I can only liken it (the attack) to the worst nightmare you can’t wake up from. It’s just not human.
Mr Yazdanparast will be sentenced at a later date.