The sister in law of Watford teenager Shahena Uddin broke down in tears as she was sentenced to serve a minimum of 18 years in prison for her murder.

Justice Spencer described Salma Begum, 32, of Leavesden Road, as “cruel, manipulative and deceitful” as he passed down a life sentence at St Albans Crown Court today.

He said: "Having observed you in the witness box, and from all the other evidence, I am driven to the conclusion that you have shown yourself to be a cruel, manipulative and deceitful woman. You were instrumental in the ill-treatment of Shahena over a period of years."

Shahena was subjected to a 'regime of brutality' at the hands of Begum in which she suffered violent punishments and was physically and verbally abused.

The 19-year-old was found dead by emergency services in the bathroom of the family home in Leavesden Road on the morning of October 11 last year.

Paramedics were told she had felt sick and fainted, but the court heard Shahena had been beaten with weapons in the previous 24 hours, suffering head wounds and injuries and bruises to her body.

An extensive cover up followed, during which the family colluded to hide the youngest sibling in the family, Sabina Uddin, in a car for 16 hours to prevent her being questioned by the police.

Justice Spencer said: "The precise sequence of events therefater in relation to Shahena’s death will probably never be known, or the precise circumstances.

"The medical evidence demonstrates that at some point that night, and certainly well before the arrival of the emergency services at around 9.20am next morning, Shahena was brutally beaten, quite possibly on more than one occasion."

Sentencing Shahena's five siblings to a total of 38.5 years in prison for allowing the death of a vulnerable adult and perverting the course of justice, Justice Spencer said the crimes were a “shocking, selfish and disgraceful perversion of family loyalty”.

He said: "When Shahena died on October 11, 2014, she was 19 years old, just a few days short of her 20th birthday. She died in her own home at 96 Leavesden Road, Watford in circumstances which none of you have had the humanity and common decency to explain.

"I am quite sure that all of you know the true circumstances in which she died. The steadfast refusal of all of you to reveal those circumstances is a shocking, selfish and disgraceful perversion of family loyalty which dishonours the memory of your dead sister."

Suhail Uddin, 35, of Leavesden Road, who was acquitted of murder and manslaughter, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Brothers Jhuhal, 33, of Middle Ope, Jewell, 27, of Leavesden Road, and Tohel Uddin, 24, of Middle Ope, were sentenced to nine years, eight years and six and a half years in prison respectively.

Rehena Uddin, 22, of Leavesden Road, was sentenced to five years in prison.

All the siblings will have to serve at least half their sentence before they can be released on licence.