Kidnapped woman dragged screaming into car by her dad after leaving home

A FATHER kidnapped his 21-year-old daughter after she had fled their abusive home, a court heard.

The terrified woman was dragged screaming in her pyjamas down a flight of stairs in an "appalling scene" before being bundled in a car.

She was eventually rescued after relatives and neighbours living in a Derby street called the police.

Arjan Ali has now been jailed along with his son, Muhammed, 27, who put his hand around his sister's mouth to quieten her screams.

The victim told officers she could not "begin to describe how scared she felt by the incident".

She feared that if she had not got away she would have been beaten and suffered "great deprivation in her freedom".

The woman had fled to her aunt's house in Derby from her Newcastle home after witnessing "a degree of physical abuse and aggression" against female family members.

Jailing the father for 42 weeks and son for 29 weeks, Judge Michael Fowler said: "A father dragging his daughter down the stairs, a 21-year-old daughter, as she's in her pyjamas, screaming, dragging her to a car in order to take her away and for no reason other than for you to have control of her, rather than for her to make decisions for herself.

"And you Muhammed Ali, you, seeing your sister screaming, joined in and took part in it.

"It's an appalling scene."

The two men, of Heaton Road, Heaton, Newcastle, who admitted kidnapping, and have been told they must not contact the woman for 10 years.

Richard Thatcher, prosecuting, said that, until August 24 last year, the victim had lived her life in the Newcastle family home but had left on that day because she "couldn't stand to be there any longer".

Mr Thatcher said: "She said in family life she had witnessed a degree of physical abuse and aggression against female family members, particularly to her mother."

He said the turning point for her was, shortly before this date, she witnessed an argument between her parents.

The court was told that the victim had made a comment under her breath that her father always seemed to be shouting at her mother, which Muhammed Ali overheard.

The young woman, who is not being identified, said her brother responded violently towards her.

Mr Thatcher said the woman then contacted an aunt who lived in Derby and left her home.

When the woman arrived in Derby, she went to Pear Tree police station to report that she was safe and well if her parents got in contact.

But she told officers not to pass on the address at which she was staying.

However, five days later, following constant text messages from her family saying the worry was affecting her mother's health, she revealed where she was and that they could come to visit in a couple of days' time.

However, the family set off that evening, arriving at her aunt's address at about 11pm.

Derby Crown Court heard that her father "pushed" his way into the house, went into his daughter's bedroom while she was sleeping and crying, asked her to get her things but she refused.

He grabbed her by the torso and she began to scream, said Mr Thatcher.

He then grabbed her by the arms and pulled her down the stairs to the car waiting outside.

Her uncle came to her rescue but her father and brother attacked him, the court was told.

The police then arrived and the young woman was rescued.