The cousin of an “honour” killing victim from Mitcham helped hide her corpse in his garden to ingratiate himself with the Kurdish community, the Old Bailey has heard.

Barber Dashti Babaker, 21, knew 20-year-old Banaz Mahmod had been murdered by her father and uncle for leaving her husband and falling in love with another man.

Miss Mahmod was killed by a family friend at her house in Morden Road before her body was taken to Babaker’s home in Birmingham, , the Old Bailey was told on Tuesday.

It is claimed Babaker and his flatmate Amir Abbas, 31, let the killers bury the corpse in a 5ft hole in their garden which was then re-filled and covered with paving slabs and broken furniture.

Both men deny perverting the course of justice and preventing the lawful and decent burial of a corpse.

Miss Mahmod was strangled to death on January 24, 2006 on the orders of her father and uncle, after falling in love with an Iranian man.

The trial continues.