Why Dad Killed Mum: My Family's Secret

Tasnim was raised by her grandfather, the only family member to survive the fire. She talks to her grandfather and great-uncle to learn more about what happened that night. Tasnim turns to local newspaper and TV archive footage to begin to try to understand her dad's motive. She finds allegations of his possessive behaviour towards Lucy and suggestions of problems in their relationship. Unexpectedly, a newspaper investigation into child sexual exploitation changes everything Tasnim thought she knew about her parents. Journalist Geraldine McKelvie's investigation uncovers horrific evidence of child grooming rings operating in Telford at the time that Lucy was killed. Reports reveal that Lucy Lowe's death was used as a threat to silence their victims.

Azhar was nine years older than Lucy when she became pregnant at 14 years old. Tasnim accesses court transcripts from her dad's trial. Reports of possessive behaviour and sexual jealousy were included in the court transcript but the trial never investigated the exploitative nature of their relationship. Tasnim's grandfather also remembers arguments between Lucy and Azhar and was aware that their relationship was turbulent. Tasnim faces an uncomfortable truth: why did no-one listen to Lucy? One of Lucy's childhood friends gets in touch with Tasnim. She claims that Azhar also manipulated and groomed her and other underage girls. Evidence is building up to suggest that Lucy was in an abusive relationship and was also likely groomed. Geraldine McKelvie, an investigative journalist, worked for three years to expose a network of organised child sexual exploitation in Telford. Tasnim meets her to try to understand why the authorities didn't raise concerns about the nature of Lucy's relationship with Azhar.

Nineteen years after the fire, the police release Lucy's belongings for the first time. Among the belongings, Tasnim makes a shocking discovery: three of Lucy's diaries that were written during her pregnancy and the first six months of Tasnim's life. After reading some of Lucy's entries, Tasnim wonders if her mum was abused by a wider network of men as well as her dad. Tasnim speaks to a victim of grooming gangs in Telford and hears again that Lucy's death was used a violent threat to silence victims. She is still haunted by the threat to this day. Tasnim is determined to secure justice for Lucy. Azhar has always denied the charge of murder and, despite the evidence, he was never prosecuted for any crimes relating to child sexual exploitation. Tasnim meets with the police to ask why her dad will not be prosecuted for these offences. Tasnim visits her local MP, Lucy Allen, to request that her mum's case be included in the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Exploitation in Telford, set up to establish the scale of the abuse and why it went undetected for so long. Ahead of her dad's parole hearing, Tasnim looks to the future and hopes that her family find happiness and justice. She reflects that her search for answers has helped her feel closer to her mum.