LONDON MAN JAILED FOR HOLDING WIFE IN DOMESTIC SERVITUDE IN BREAKTHROUGH MODERN SLAVERY CASE
A man named Safraz Ahmed has been sentenced to two years in prison for holding his wife, Sumara Iram, in domestic servitude.Ahmed, aged 34 and residing on Elliscombe Road, Charlton, southeast London, was convicted at Woolwich Crown Court of holding a person in servitude and assault causing actual bodily harm.
The court heard that Ahmed married Ms.
Iram in Pakistan in 2012, with an arranged marriage in 2006, and held a second official wedding ceremony in the UK in February 2013.
After her arrival in the UK, Ms.
Iram endured an 18-month period of torture, violence, and intimidation.
She was beaten, threatened with death, and subjected to physical assaults, including punching and slapping, which led her to attempt suicide.
The prosecutor described how Ahmed initially attacked his wife immediately after the wedding when he was asked to consummate the marriage, calling her derogatory names and asserting that she was there to look after his family.
Ms.
Iram was herded to do chores, care for children, and was not allowed to leave the home.
She lived a 'life of violence, intimidation and misery,' and when she overdosed on painkillers, she was told to vomit before being made to continue with wedding preparations.
Ahmed was arrested in February 2014 after neighbors saw him dragging Ms.
Iram by her hair; however, he subsequently apologized to her and her family in Pakistan.
Ms.
Iram raised the alarm in August 2014 by calling emergency services.
The jury found that Ahmed had bullied and controlled his wife, subjecting her to physical and mental torture, and the judge described his behavior as an assault and a form of modern slavery.
The sentencing marked a significant case as it was the first conviction in England and Wales of a husband holding his wife in servitude.
Ms.
Iram’s victim impact statement expressed her feeling of dehumanization, saying: 'It seemed my only purpose was to serve these people and I was of no value at all.
I felt dehumanised.' Prosecutor Damaris Lakin noted the case's significance in illustrating progress in tackling modern-day slavery, while the judge emphasized that cultural differences do not justify such actions.
The defense stated that Ahmed entered the marriage in good faith but became frustrated, but the court held that his actions were unacceptable regardless of cultural context.
