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Man who made wife live like slave jailed for two years Briton who made wife live like slave is first to be jailed for domestic servitude
(about 1 hour later)
The first Briton to be convicted of forcing their spouse into domestic servitude has been sentenced to two years in prison after a court heard that he subjected his wife to an existence of “violence, intimidation, aggression and misery”.The first Briton to be convicted of forcing their spouse into domestic servitude has been sentenced to two years in prison after a court heard that he subjected his wife to an existence of “violence, intimidation, aggression and misery”.
Safraz Ahmed made his wife, Sumara Iram, endure “physical and mental torture” over two-and-a-half years after she came to the UK from Pakistan for an arranged marriage, one that she had willingly entered into. Following the hearing, police accepted that in retrospect they could have removed Sumara Iram from her ordeal at the hands of Safraz Ahmed 18 months before they did, and said it was likely more such cases existed.
Ahmed, 34, a mechanic from Charlton in south-east London, hit Iram, threw tins of cat food at her, sent streams of abusive and demeaning text messages, and once told her to jump in front of a vehicle or into a river, Woolwich crown court was told. Ahmed was arrested after he broke Iram’s nose in February 2014, but police failed to spot that her refusal to press charges was made under duress.
On Friday, He was sentenced to two years in prison for enforced domestic servitude and eight months for assault causing actual bodily harm, which will run concurrently. Instead, Iram, who came to the UK from Pakistan in 2012 with a masters degree as part of an arranged marriage into which she had freely entered, remained at the family home in Charlton, south-east London until August 2015, when she called police after trying to kill herself.
Outlining the prosecution case, Caroline Haughey told the judge, Christopher Hehir, that Iram was an educated woman from a liberal background who arrived in the UK thinking she would be treated well. Ahmed, 34, a mechanic from Charlton, hit Iram, threw tins of cat food at her, sent streams of abusive and demeaning text messages, and once told her to jump in front of a vehicle or into a river, Woolwich crown court was told.
“She expected, as any wife, that she was entering a harmonious household where she was an equal,” Haughey said. “He told her he had married her so she could look after his mother and his home.” He was sentenced to two years in prison for enforced domestic servitude and eight months for assault causing actual bodily harm, to run concurrently.
Iram, who was in court for the hearing, was often obliged to work from 5am to midnight cooking, cleaning and tending to her husband, his mother, who lived with them, and various other in-laws who visited. The judge, Christopher Hehir, described the paradox of an educated woman from a liberal background in Pakistan coming to the UK for what she expected was a marriage of equals, only to be brutalised by her British husband. Ahmed had admitted the offences, but had shown “some distorted thinking” in seeking to partly explain his actions for cultural reasons, he said.
Once, Haughey said, Ahmed hit his wife for, as he viewed it, failing to tend properly to his sister. If the family told her to “stand on one leg” she should do it without question, he said. Damaris Lakin of the Crown Prosecution Service said it was “a ground-breaking case which demonstrates how far we have come in tackling modern-day slavery”.
Ahmed has admitted holding his wife in domestic servitude, an offence under the 2009 Coroners Act, from her arrival in Britain at the end of 2012 until police took her to a refuge in August 2015. The charge relates to the middle of the three levels of seriousness, domestic servitude rather than slavery. He also admitted an offence of actual bodily harm over an incident in which he broke her nose. He said of Iram’s ordeal: “She was treated with complete contempt by the defendant, who responded to her requests for affection with physical assaults and verbal abuse. She was isolated from the world, allowed only very restricted contact with her family and was not allowed to leave the house unaccompanied.”
The court was told that the latter incident first brought the family to police attention in February 2014. Officers were called by neighbours – who said they had never previously seen Iram – after they saw her outside the family home dressed in just a dress and flip-flops despite the cold, before her husband dragged her back inside by her hair. Iram was in court to see her former husband jailed. She listened carefully to the hearing but showed no emotion. Police have asked the media to not print images of her lest she face retribution.
Police noticed injuries to her nose and eye and arrested her husband, but the next day Iram signed a document asking for him to be freed, and saying she was not under pressure. Outlining the prosecution case, Caroline Haughey said Iram had arrived anticipating “a harmonious household where she was an equal”. Instead, Ahmed “told her he had married her so she could look after his mother and his home,” she said.
Speaking to police the following year, after leaving her husband, she said that, in fact, the family tried to keep her away from police by locking her in a bathroom and then ordering her to a garden shed. Iram was often obliged to work from 5am to midnight cooking, cleaning and tending to her husband, his mother, who lived with them, and various other in-laws who visited.
Haughey described the parallel mental abuse meted out, which she said had left Iram with post-traumatic stress disorder. Haughey said Ahmed had once hit his wife for, as he viewed it, failing to tend properly to his sister. If the family told her to “stand on one leg” she should do it without question, she said.
Iram came to police attention in February 2014 after neighbours saw her outside the family home in just a dress and flip-flops, before her husband dragged her back inside by her hair.
Officers realised she had a broken nose and black eye and arrested Ahmed, but they released him the next day when Iram signed a document asking for him to be freed, saying she was not under pressure.
Police could have acted differently then, said DS Pal Singh of the Metropolitan police, who led the eventual investigation.
“There are always lesson that the police can learn to improve their practices,” Singh told reporters. “With the benefit of hindsight, this case could have perhaps been better placed for the victim if it had started in February 2014, when she first came to police attention.”
Praising Iram’s bravery, Singh said it was likely many more such cases existed, and appealed for victims to contact police: “We can help, and as the judge said today, the courts do not accept cultural differences for offending. Neither should the police.”
The Home Office’s chief scientific adviser, Professor Bernard Silverman, has estimated that in 2013 there were between 10,000 and 13,000 potential victims of modern slavery in the UK. This includes includes women forced into prostitution, domestic staff, and workers in fields, factories and fishing.
There are no estimates available of how many spouses are subjected to domestic servitude.
Haughey described to the court the physical and mental abuse meted out by Ahmed, which she said had left Iram with post-traumatic stress disorder.
The court was told her husband once said to her: “You are scared of being alone, but you are not scared of my beatings.” On another occasion, when she begged his forgiveness, Ahmed said he found her “disgusting”, and that she should jump in front of a car or into a river.The court was told her husband once said to her: “You are scared of being alone, but you are not scared of my beatings.” On another occasion, when she begged his forgiveness, Ahmed said he found her “disgusting”, and that she should jump in front of a car or into a river.
“It was an atmosphere of fear, constantly punctuated by violence,” Haughey said.“It was an atmosphere of fear, constantly punctuated by violence,” Haughey said.
She eventually left the house in August 2015, after she tried to kill herself. She phoned the police, who persuaded her to go to a refuge.She eventually left the house in August 2015, after she tried to kill herself. She phoned the police, who persuaded her to go to a refuge.
Offering mitigation for Ahmed, Cathy Ryan said Iram, who has a masters degree and comes from a relatively privileged background, arguably came to the UK with expectations of marriage that were “a little unrealistic”. Offering mitigation for Ahmed, Cathy Ryan said he changed his mind during the gap between their marriage in Pakistan in 2006 and her arrival in the UK six years later, a delay caused by her finishing a masters degree in Islamic studies, and also because of visa issues.
Her husband changed his mind during the gap between their marriage in Pakistan in 2006 and her arrival in the UK six years later, a delay caused by her finishing a masters degree in Islamic studies, and also because of visa issues.
He was frustrated at the marriage, Ryan said, adding: “It’s right to say that Sumara bore the brunt of this frustration.”He was frustrated at the marriage, Ryan said, adding: “It’s right to say that Sumara bore the brunt of this frustration.”
Ryan countered the prosecution assertion that Iram was never allowed out alone, saying she took her nephew to nursery alone and “could just have walked away if she wanted”. She added, however, that this was unlikely given her lack of English or other contacts in the UK.