DUNDEE MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO CONTROLLING AND ABUSIVE BEHAVIOUR IN ARRANGED MARRIAGE
A man from Dundee, Haseeb Ahmed, who subjected his wife to years of hardship during their arranged marriage, has been ordered to refrain from contacting her.Ahmed, 32, compelled his wife to handle all household chores and kept her isolated from her family from March 2021 to April 2024 at a residence in Dundee.
The police were called to the property during this period to assist the woman in escaping Ahmed’s control, after which Ahmed demanded that officers leave.
Dundee Sheriff Court heard testimonies suggesting that cultural expectations played a role in the situation, with Ahmed’s solicitor claiming that these expectations conflict with the local culture.
The couple married in Pakistan in March 2020, after which the wife moved into Ahmed’s home, where he works at his family’s takeaway.
It was reported that she was responsible for all domestic tasks, including cooking and cleaning, often taking up her entire day.
She repeatedly sought to see her relatives in Dundee, but Ahmed prevented her from doing so and seized her phone.
He insisted she be accompanied by him or family when going out, and she used her phone to contact her family in Pakistan.
Her family in Dundee became concerned when they could no longer reach her.
Tensions escalated on April 26 last year when her aunt and uncle went to her address to rescue her; during the incident, Ahmed grabbed her arm as she tried to leave with her relatives.
When police arrived, he questioned her departure, saying, “How can she leave without permission?
I am her husband, she’s not allowed to go without permission.” The woman, visibly upset and crying, expressed her preference to leave with her relatives over staying with Ahmed.
Ahmed, who was appearing in court for sentencing after admitting to abusive conduct, stated that he had no previous relationships before marriage, describing it as arranged.
His solicitor argued that Ahmed was influenced by cultural expectations that conflicted with his own, and that he discouraged his wife from leaving unaccompanied, which she wished to do.
Ahmed did not realize how unhappy she was.
During the hearing, he was visibly emotional and was sentenced to 18 months of supervision, along with 150 hours of unpaid work.
A community payback order was issued as an alternative to jail time, and he was also placed under a three-year non-harassment order by Sheriff Alastair Carmichael.
