“Callous” Mohammed Naeem is facing a substantial prison sentence after he was yesterday convicted of the brutal murder of family man Amjad Hussain.

Naeem will be sentenced today at Bradford Crown Court after a jury of nine women and three men found him guilty of Mr Hussain’s murder.

Mr Hussain, 32, a married father of a nine-year-old son, died in his own living room. He was almost beheaded with a meat cleaver wielded by Naeem, who inflicted repeated blows to his neck with the weapon, then set fire to the house and tried to create an explosion in a bid to destroy the evidence.

The jury was told Naeem committed the murder because Mr Hussain, a pizza chef at the Four Seasons takeaway in Burley -in-Wharfedale, was threatening to tell the killer’s wife and father-in-law about a £1,000 loan Naeem had not repaid.

Naeem claimed he had been abducted at gunpoint and tortured by four men who forced him to lure Mr Hussain to his death.

But the jury rejected his story and returned the guilty verdict after deliberating for just over a day at the end of a three-week trial.

Naeem stood with his hands clasped in front of him and showed no emotion as the verdict was returned. Mr Hussain’s emotional widow dashed from the court, while two of her brothers quietly celebrated and shook the hand of a detective in the public gallery.

Mr Justice Lindblom remanded Naeem in custody until he is sentenced today.

Speaking on behalf of the family after the verdict, Mr Hussain's widow, Saima, said: “Amjad was a good hearted family man who worked hard and who's word was his bond.

“He lent this man money in good faith for what he was told was a good cause and was then betrayed and murdered in the most callous way I can imagine.

“As a family, my husband's murder has sent us to hell and for me his death still does not seem real. You marry, have a family, build a career, only for someone to snatch it all from you. I went to work at 8am that day and by 1pm was told what had happened and that was it, my life was shattered in the space of just five hours.

“Our son has been denied a normal family upbringing and together with his family, even the small comfort of being able to provide him with a traditional Muslim funeral. He still does not understand fully what has happened and why his dad has gone.

“I want to thank the police for their support in catching Amjad's murderer. We are pleased he has been convicted and that we now have some justice for my husband.”

Detective Superintendent Paul Taylor, who led the investigation, said detectives had used old fashioned policing methods to secure the conviction.

“This involved a great deal of work with and within the Asian community here in Bradford assisted by Urdu and Punjabi speaking officers who were a tremendous asset to us.

“We hope this conviction makes the point clear that West Yorkshire Police homicide detectives do not give in.

“No matter how hard a case may appear and how hard criminals work to cover their tracks, we will find them.

“Our thoughts now continue to remain with his family who have been terribly affected by this brutal crime, and we hope the justice we now have for Amjad will be of some comfort for them.”