A two-part factual drama which follows the investigation into the death of a 20-year-old woman from Mitcham will air on ITV tonight.

'Honour' will tell the story of a real-life detective who brought five killers to justice in the heartbreaking story of Banaz Mahmod, a woman murdered as part of a "honour killing".

Banaz was murdered in 2006 on the orders of her family after she left an abusive marriage for another man.

She disappeared and her body was found 100 miles away buried in a suitcase in a garden in Birmingham three months later.

Banaz was an Iraqi-Kurdish woman who had come to the UK when she was 10 with her family. They were fleeing from the regime of Saddam Hussein.

At 16 Banaz had an arranged marriage to a man who abused her. She later left her husband and came back to live with her family.

Wimbledon Times:

“That, in itself, is viewed as dishonourable conduct and can be justification in its own right for having women killed," says Caroline Goode, senior investigating officer leading the police team in the case.

Goode added:

Then she started a relationship with another man that the family disapproved of and that really sealed her fate.”

Actress Keeley Hawes takes on the role of Detective Chief Inspector Caroline Goode who brought her killers to justice.

DCI Goode discovered that Banaz had been to the police five times to report threats to her life from members of her own family.

Wimbledon Times:

Keeley Hawes (right) will play Detective Chief Inspector Caroline Goode (left) - ITV and PA

Appalled that her own colleagues had missed multiple chances to save a young woman’s life and prevent a “honour” killing, Caroline vowed that she would not rest until she finally got justice for Banaz.

Gwyneth Hughes who wrote the drama said:

Banaz Mahmod met her brutish death on the orders of her own father and uncle, which I find profoundly unsettling.

"This story shows the sheer heroism and dedication of the police officers who hunted down her killers.

"Caroline Goode and her team felt real love for this girl they’d never met.

"I found their unusual warmth and humanity deeply moving.”

Wimbledon Times:

Actress Buket Komur will play Banaz - ITV

Keeley Hawes, who plays DCI Goode said: “So many things set this story apart, firstly Banaz and her courage and bravery in going to the police and continuing to go to the police.

Giving them a list of names of people who would be responsible for her death, that is extraordinary.

“Then we have another amazing woman in Caroline Goode, who wouldn’t take no for an answer.

"I hope our drama serves the memory of Banaz.

"I also hope it may give people the confidence to speak out if they are in that situation or have an inkling that someone else might be going through anything like what Banaz had to suffer.

"That would mean it had been a real success."

Honour will air on ITV between 9pm to 10pm on September 28 and September 29, 2020.