AN inquest into the death of a woman who was murdered and dismembered has taken place - despite her body never being found.

The hearing took place so that the family of 56-year-old Accrington woman Zainab Begum could obtain a death certificate.

She was murdered by her son-in-law Mohammed Arshad in January 2004 but her family had been unable to obtain a death certificate because her body has never been found.

The inquest was told that Mrs Begum's body was dismembered in the bathroom at her home in Burnley Road before being moved to the Millennium Takeaway on Church Street, Accrington, where Arshad worked.

Arshad and his brother, Mohammed Sharif Khan, from Manchester, then transferred the body parts to an address in Manchester from where they claimed they were spread around waste bins in the Rusholme area, the inquest was told.

Coroner's officer John Scofield said the hearing was to "formalise" the situation. He said: "The coroner had to apply for special permission to the Home Office to hold the inquest because there was no body.

"Until a death is formalised it cannot be registered and a death certificate cannot be issued."

The hearing heard a recap of the case from a senior police officer involved in investigating the death of Mrs Begum.

But re-living the nightmare proved too harrowing for two of Mrs Begum's daughters, Kauser Parvine and Zarina Ahmed, who left the inquest as details of how their mother was murdered and her dismembered body disposed of were recounted.

Det insp Jim Elston told how Mrs Begum went missing from her home in Burnley Road, Accringto-n, after seeing her youngest daughter off to school.

The house was examined by forensic officers and blood was found in a bedroom and on carpets leading to the bathroom.

Mohammed Arshad, the dead woman's son-in-law, was eventually charged with her murder and convicted and sentenced to life at Preston Crown Court.

Mohammed Sharif Khan was also convicted of helping him to dispose of the body parts and sentenced to seven years.

Det Insp Elston said the police made extensive inquiries with waste disposal undertakings which suggested that if the version of events given by Arshad was correct the body parts could have been spread across landfill sites throughout the North West.

The medical cause of death was given as unascertained and coroner Michael Singleton said he was satisfied that on January 13 2004 Zainab Begum received fatal injuries as a result of an attack on her.