THREE family members, who kidnapped and drugged a young Asian woman in an honour based crime, have been convicted at court.
Mother Shamim Akhtar, 56, of Kirkwall Drive, Bradford was today found guilty of false imprisonment, kidnap and two counts of administering a drug with intent to commit an indictable offence after a four week trial at Preston Crown Court.
Brother Shamrez Khan, 32, Moore Avenue, Bradford and brother in law Zahid Mahmood, 34 of Empress Street, Accrington pleaded guilty to false imprisonment, kidnap and two counts of administering a drug with intent to commit an indictable offence on Wednesday 6 June.

The court heard how the 23-year-old victim had left her home in Bradford in 2009 to avoid being forced into a marriage to her cousin. She subsequently met and married a man in Newcastle. Soon after their marriage, both her and her new husband visited her parents in the hope of reconciliation, but they were met with hostility and told to divorce.

On Sunday 17 January 2010, she went to her sister’s house on Empress Street in Accrington. Two days later on Tuesday 19 January, she was given a milky drink which had been laced with a sedative, Lorazepam, causing her to become nauseous and drowsy before being placed into a Toyota Estima car.
Police were alerted later that day when her husband raised concerns for her welfare and following enquiries by officers from Lancashire Constabulary she was discovered in the car at Rising Bridge, Rossendale. She was taken to hospital and the defendants were arrested later that day.
Speaking after the case, Detective Inspector Mark Vaughton from Lancashire Constabulary said: “This has been a long and complicated enquiry which has involved a number of members of the same family. It has been particularly traumatic for the victim who has been forced into hiding to escape abuse from her family.

“It has been a horrendous ordeal for the young woman who has been treated in the most dreadful way by the people who were supposed to protect and care for her. She has shown immense courage in coming forward and officers have been supporting her throughout the investigation.”

DI Vaughton urged victims to come forward and contact the police in confidence.

He added: “Although this is a very rare and unusual case, we urge anyone that is suffering in similar circumstances to come forward and contact the police.

“Lancashire Constabulary will not tolerate any acts of honour based abuse in our communities and will treat offences very seriously.

“We work very closely with professionals such as healthcare staff, the Lancashire Domestic Violence Partnership, Social Services and teachers to ensure victims of forced marriage receive the best possible help from all agencies.
“We have specialist teams dealing with the issue of honour based abuse, which are based in every division across the county as well as outreach workers out in the community.
“We understand the complex cultural issues around victims coming forward but as this case demonstrates we are committed to investigating any reports of this nature thoroughly and will do everything within our powers to bring offenders before the courts.”

All three have been remanded in custody and will be sentenced at Burnley Crown Court on 10th July 2012.
Anyone with information or concerns about honour based crime can contact police on 101. Alternatively they can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or on-line at Crimestoppers-uk.org. No personal details are taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court.

Lancashire Police