Jailed, the abusive family who gave bride pills that have left her in vegetative state for nine years
THE husband and parents-inlaw of an arranged marriage bride who was left brain damaged by their ‘wicked’ treatment of her, were each jailed for almost eight years yesterday.
Ambreen Fatima Sheikh, 39, is in a persistent vegetative state that has left her with no consciousness of the world around her.
She has been in that condition since being taken to hospital in a ‘malnourished’ state from the family home in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, eightand-a-half years ago.
The woman, who came to the UK from Pakistan in 2014 to live with her
‘Pattern of violence’
husband, was ‘tricked or forced’ into taking tablets prescribed to her diabetic mother-in-law that resulted in a hypoglycaemic attack – dangerously low blood sugar.
By then the socially isolated Ambreen had suffered a ‘pattern of violence’ at the terraced house she shared with her new family – who were found guilty of offences relating to her sinister treatment and an ensuing cover-up.
Commenting on the victim’s condition during sentencing at Leeds Crown Court, Mrs Justice Lambert said: ‘It is difficult to imagine a more serious injury, short of death.’
Ambreen’s husband Asgar Sheikh, 31, father-in-law Khalid Sheikh, 55, and mother-in-law Shabnam Sheikh, 52, were each jailed for seven years and nine months. The victim’s sister-in-law Shagufa Sheikh, 29, and brother Sakalayne Sheikh, 25, were given suspended jail sentences. Aneeta
Prem of Freedom Charity, that supports ‘dishonour’ and forced marriage victims, said: ‘The years ahead promise freedom for the perpetrators, but for Ambreen, they hold only the certainty of a life marred by extreme discomfort.
This situation underscores the need for a robust deterrent to prevent such grievous harm.’
Prosecutors said Ambreen will eventually die as a consequence of what happened to her, although this may not happen for years.
Back in her homeland she was regarded as ‘intelligent and happygo-lucky’. But in Huddersfield, the judge said, she rarely left the house, spoke little English and had no independent income or friends.
The judge said she could not say for sure when the abuse began. Concerns were raised by members of the extended family and two police officers carried out a welfare check in July 2015. They reported Ambreen as being fit and well.
The judge said she attached ‘little weight to the assessment’ because the father-in-law was present.
But at 1am on August 1, 2015, the family called for an ambulance. They reported Ambreen had suddenly become unresponsive. Medical evidence indicated they had lied and had also cleaned up the scene. Experts believe she collapsed unconscious much earlier and her brain was damaged when her airway became blocked.
A large black wound on her lower back was said to have been caused by a caustic substance, probably a cleaning fluid, in the days before.
The judge decided there was a two to three- day delay between Ambreen falling unconscious and the family calling an ambulance.
She told the defendants: ‘You would all have been aware of her pain and distress… and her desperate need for emergency care.’
A jury convicted Asgar, Khalid, Shabnam, and Shagufa of causing or allowing a vulnerable adult to suffer serious physical harm. Shagufa, Shabnam and Asgar were also found guilty of an act intending to pervert the course of justice. All five were found guilty of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.