Video footage shows the moment a City banker shook his head and faked sadness while being interviewed by police. He was accused of killing an escorte in a cocaine-fueled rage.
Father-of-two Zahid Naseem, 50, battered £2,000-a-night private escort Christina Abbotts to death with a mortar in a Crawley, West Sussex flat on her 29th birthday.
CCTV shows the moment the former investment consultant, who earned upwards of £250,000-a-year as a City trader, shrugs as he tells detectives he couldn’t remember what happened on the night of Christina’s murder.
Footage taken from inside a police interview rooms shows Naseem looking solemn as he tells officers his shock at her passing.
One clip shows him slouching with his head down. A second shot shows him turning his back to the detectives who are trying to question him.
Experts in body language have analyzed the scene and confirmed the suspicions of investigating officers – that Naseem was lying, and that subtle gestures gave away his guilt.
Discovery’s Faking it was told by Dr Cliff Lansley that Naseem, the murderer,’sulked and faked sorrow’ to ‘get police on his team’.
Detectives also pointed out his head shake, flickering eyes and defensive posture and stated that it was “very clear” that he had lied.
Zahid Naseem was sentenced in life imprisonment for murdering Christina Abbotts’ escort in a champagne and coke-fueled attack at a Crawley flat, West Sussex.
Footage captured inside a police interviewroom reveals how Naseem sighs and tells detectives that he doesn’t remember what happened the night Christina was murdered
Experts in linguistics, body language and body language shared their assessment of Zahid Nasem, the killer banker under police interview
Naseem claimed to police that he was’shell-shocked.’ He then went back into his living room and drank vodka.
Officers were told that he said: “Something must have happened.” There was me, then there was her, and then there wasn’t her. Did I hit my girlfriend? No, I don’t recall hitting her.
‘Did we fight, no we didn’t fight. I’m not a hyper-functioning psychopath telling you a story a-la Silence of the Lambs. I’m only telling you what happened and what didn’t. I can’t give you more than that.
He said it again in a police interview: “It’s just me. It’s not you. You don’t understand it, despite my repeated attempts to convince you.
Disovery’s new series Faking It featured Dr Lansley, who said about the damning footage of Naseem lying that: “When the brows rise and the mouth arches it creates a sign of sadness. That’s what happens when we feel it.
“But when you want sadness, you can make the same arch and pretend that you’re sad to get some pity and mercy when you’re wrong by jutting you chin and pursing you lips.
‘If you ask children to feel sad, they will do what we call an apathetic sulk. And this is what he’s doing.
“He is doing a sulky pose on his lips. His chin rises and his lips pout out with a little frown.
“This combination is what can we pose sadness or sulking.” It won’t convince anyone to feel sorry for themselves at this point.
Discovery’s Faking it was told by Dr Cliff Lansley that Naseem, the murderer,’sulked and faked sorrow’ to ‘get police on his team’.
Footage taken inside a police interview rooms shows Naseem looking solemn and upset as he informs officers about his shock at the escort’s passing
Dawn Archer (professor of linguistics) revealed that there were indications Naseem had struggled to answer officers’ questions.
She said that there are many long pauses throughout the movie, sometimes lasting up to eight seconds, and sometimes for as long as two seconds.
“That’s a long period of time to pause before answering. He’s either unsure what to say, or he’s trying to figure out what to say next.
Zahid Naseem had enjoyed a lucrative career, first working first for HSBC bank and then finance giant Merrill Lynch, before moving to BNP Paribas and specialising in risk management.
But was sacked from his most recent finance role at Aberdeen Asset management over claims he had run up debts of £20,000 on the company credit card and was freelancing as a consultant working for a small Canadian bank.
Despite earning up to £250,000 a year, living a life of excess had left Naseem with debts of up to £100,000 and the court heard he had been ‘stressed, short-tempered and grumpier than normal.’
Ms. Abbotts (left), was a high class escorte who lived a double life. She was then attacked and killed by City financier Naseem during a night in Sussex.
This is when police stormed a home to find Ms Abbotts deceased and Naseem pretending unconsciousness in his sofa-side dressing gown (pictured).
His frequent use of prostitutes was a secret to his work colleagues, who were well aware of his habits.
Christina Abbotts and Naseem first met in a London restaurant. They then went to Knightsbridge’s Plaza Hotel for a night filled with sex, cocaine, and alcohol.
Christina claimed she was flat-sitting, but in fact she was secretly working as an escort for high-class clients.
Calling herself Tilly Pexton, she sought her clients among the wealthy bankers and businessmen in the City of London, charging around £2,000 a time.
Naseem and Abbotts met on a number of occasions and Christina was paid around £2,000 for the liaisons.
After a drug-filled night, Naseem hit Ms Abbotts 13x with this pestle.
After meeting at her friend’s flat on Friday, May 25, 2018, the pair went to Asda Crawley. There they were spotted on CCTV buying champagne bottles. Then they called a drug contact to arrange delivery of large quantities of cocaine. The pair then went out for sex and drugs.
Christina received messages from family and friends wishing her a happy Birthday the next morning. She replied and made plans with her friends to meet them later at the party in London.
She and Naseem had sex in morning, but the court heard that the banker attacked Christina in her bedroom around midday.
He used a kitchen pestle to bludgeon her around the head at least thirteen times before trying to strangle her.
He messaged Helen Jervis just hours later, saying that it was too late. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.
Christina Abbott’s murder: Timeline
2011Naseem, a city banker, starts using escorts and taking cocaine after growing apart.
2015Christine Abbotts, a former student, creates a profile on AdultWork.com describing herself as an escort. She works in secret and tells friends and family she is in IT in London.
April 2018,Naseem and Ms Abbotts spend time in London, dining at swanky restaurants and hotels.
May 24, 2018 Naseem, who is working in Toronto-Dominion Bank London’s London office, arranges to meet Ms Abbotts at the end of that evening. He takes a taxi from Crawley to meet Ms Abbotts. They then go to Asda to purchase alcohol, including her favorite brand of champagne Veuve Clicquot. They will be the last time they see each other in public.
May 25,Ms. Abbotts celebrates 29 years of age by sending messages of thanks to her family and friends.
Midday– This is her last contact with anyone. She may have also received messages on her phone, which suggests that she was killed within a short time.
2pmNaseem sends explicit photos to another sex worker and a video of him naked. The background of the video shows him in Ms Abbotts’ sitting room. Later that afternoon, a cleaner arrived at the flat to help but the door was locked from the inside. She knocks repeatedly and is unable to get in so she leaves.
Police at the apartment where Ms. Abbotts was discovered dead on her 29th Birthday
5pmRoshan Periag, a friend, is scheduled to meet Ms Abbotts at Park Plaza County Hall in London. She was there to celebrate her birthday. She made arrangements to meet her friends for drinks at South Kensington bars around 9pm. They worry that she may be stalking her online and won’t turn up when she does. One friend calls police while Mr Periag drives up to Crawley and attempts to locate her at the flat.
May 26 – Mr Periag does not have luck, but can see the light on the computer screen through the window in her flat. He then goes to the police station to raise his alarm.
1.30am– Officers arrive at Highams Hill in the Gossops Green district of Crawley.
2.30 a.m.Police enter the flat and discover Ms. Abbotts’ body lying on the couch, pretending to be unconscious.
5am– He is transported by ambulance to the hospital. After being checked over, he is taken into custody on suspicion of murder. He is released and taken into custody to be questioned.
December 11, 2018, – Naseem stands trial after denying murder.
December 20Naseem is found guilty by the jury of murder.