A couple threatened to kill their daughter if she rejected a forced marriage and behead her if she contacted authorities for help.
A
judge has since granted a temporary forced marriage protection order,
banning the parents from leaving Britain, after the local authority in
Croydon, London, said it 'did not trust them an inch' and feared younger
children in the family would be spirited out of England if they were
able to leave.
The
girl, known as S, claims she suffered repeated violence at the hands of
her parents and grandmother as a teenager and was told she would be
killed if she refused to marry abroad as this would 'bring dishonour on
the family.
She
described a long history of being put under pressure to marry, and when
she spoke to authorities in 2005 about suffering 'violence and
intimidation' from her family she claimed her mother said her father
would 'cut her head off' if she ever raised issues again.
During
a hearing at the Family Division of the High Court, Mr Justice Holman
granted a temporary forced marriage protection order until next month.
This prevents the family from leaving Britain after it emerged that the mother wanted to go to Afghanistan.
Mr
Justice Holman granted the order on the basis that Croydon County
Council, which made the application, 'did not trust this family an inch'
and feared three younger children in the family could be 'spirited out
of Britain.'
The
High Court heard that S, who cannot be identified, had described
suffering a long history of pressure to accept a forced marriage.
The family, who are originally from Afghanistan, lived for a considerable time in Norway.
During
their time in Norway S, now 22, was referred to the local authority by
her school health service because of concerns about her welfare.
Mr Justice Holman made the order at a hearing at the High Court in London, part of the Royal Courts of Justice
Mr
Justice Holman said a written decision from a public body or court in
Norway, dated 2008, explained that the girl had been subjected to
pressure to go to Afghanistan to marry. The plan had been that the
family would go for a 14 day holiday but S would remain for six months
to get married.
A
report of the 2008 proceedings said: 'The girl talks about violence
against her from the family, mother, father, brother and grandmother.
This has increased during the past month and has been happening on a
daily basis.
'The
girl said that her parents told her she would be killed if she would
not travel, because this would bring dishonour to her family.'
Mr Justice Holman granted a forced marriage protection order, until a further hearing in December
The
court heard that this document also mentioned an incident after she had
contact with the local authorities about death threats, intimidation
and violence from her family in 2005. They were also claims the family
was monitoring her.
It
added: 'The girl said after the emergency placement in 2005, the mother
repeatedly told her that if S could contact the authorities again, her
father will 'Take the girl and cut off her head.'
The
family had their passports seized in April this year by police because
of fears "criminal offences may have been, or were planned to be,
committed upon" the children.
Mr Justice Holman added: 'The local authority very strongly resists that, for they do not, frankly, trust this family an inch.
'They
consider that if any parent is allowed out of England and Wales, there
is a real risk that, by some means or another, these children will be
spirited out of England and Wales.'
The
court heard that S was planning to get married in Afghanistan, by her
own choice, this October and had wanted her mother and youngest brother
to travel to be at her wedding.
Croydon County Council applied for a forced marriage protection order to prevent the family travelling abroad.
This was granted on a temporary basis, until a full hearing on December 20.
The
penalty for breaking a forced marriage protection order is five years
in prison, and parents who force their children to marry can be jailed
for seven years.
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