In 2019, the Offender Database reported that Kasim Shazada Khurum, then 23, of Aston, Birmingham, West Midlands, was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court for a vile and shocking incident involving the sexual penetration of a corpse. Kasim Khurum broke into the Central England Co-operative Funeralcare on Walsall Road in Great Barr, Birmingham, on Remembrance Sunday while under the influence of alcohol and a dangerous cocktail of drugs, including Mamba and PCP. During the horrific break-in, Khurum disturbed nine coffins, including one containing a baby, for his own sickening sexual gratification.
The court heard that Kasim Khurum removed the clothing of two deceased women and raped one of the bodies. The manager of the funeral home arrived to find a disturbing scene where a female victim had been removed from her coffin and placed on the floor of the chapel. Forensic swabs later confirmed a DNA match to Kasim Khurum. Upon his arrest at the scene, Khurum displayed a deplorable lack of remorse, making disgusting remarks to officers and initially only expressing concern about leaving his watch in the parlour.
Judge Melbourne Inman QC described the offences as being of “total degradation” and noted that they offended all human sensibility. The judge highlighted the profound and chilling effect on the families, who had trusted the chapel of rest to be a safe place for their loved ones. While the defence suggested an underlying psychotic nature, the judge determined that the violent and gratuitous acts were a result of a drug-induced psychosis. Kasim Shazada Khurum was sentenced to six years in prison.
As a result of his convictions for these vile sexual acts, Kasim Shazada Khurum was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for ten years. He is managed under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) by West Midlands Police, remaining under supervision for the duration of his order. Any breach of his registration requirements or further predatory behaviour in the Great Barr or Aston area will result in his immediate arrest. The family of the victim described the actions of this “monster” as a thunderbolt to the heart that caused immeasurable pain.
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