Father and son jailed over honour-based violence on 16-year-old girl in Nelson

Following the sentence, Lancashire Police said they would not tolerate any HBV and is committed to protecting the victims of such abhorrent behaviour and prosecuting those who engage in it.

The offence happened on May 14th after the 16-year-old victim had returned home having gone to the shop for around 10 to 15 minutes to get some fresh air.

During that time her family had been ringing her. She didn’t realise they had been ringing her, but she was aware they didn’t like her going out.

When she got back home, her dad took her phone off her and started to hit her, asking her where she had been.

He then asked her to go upstairs whilst her brother checked through her phone.

The victim’s brother asked her to come downstairs and then took her dad's walking stick and started to hit her on her back. Her dad got up and took the stick before starting to hit her with it.

The victim’s brother went into the kitchen and got a wooden stick, part of the pestle and mortar, and started to hit her with it on her shoulders and back.

Her mother and little sister tried to intervene but they were told to go away.

The victim’s brother said he was going to kill her and he grabbed her and tried to kick her out of the house.

Her dad took her back into the house and started to hit the victim again.

At this point the victim was crying and telling them to stop. Her brother responded to that by punching her to the face several times, which made her nose and lip bleed.

Terrified, she managed to run upstairs to the bathroom when her mother did initially manage to stop the defendants from hitting her.

However, her dad started to hit her again, while her brother attacked her with the stick.

PC Gaynor said: “The victim explains at first she was really affected by it because she was taken away from her family and she lived away for four months, which she found hard. She says she couldn’t believe her dad and her brother did that to her.

“She says at first she was in pain (from the assault) and she was angry at her family for everything that had happened and at the start she said she didn’t want to go back and she just wanted to leave.”

Despite everything that has happened, the victim does say she wants a relationship with her dad and brother.

To help encapsulate the impact the honour-based violence has had on the victim, PC Carley Gaynor from the East hate crime unit summarised her statement to the court.

PC Gaynor said: “This was a cowardly attack against a vulnerable girl in her home, committed by the very people who were supposed to love and protect her.

“I want to praise the bravery of the victim in this case. I know the unwarranted attack and everything else that has resulted solely because of the disgraceful actions of the defendants have had a profound effect of the victim and other members of her family.

“I want to thank the family member who reported the HBV attack to the police, recognising such behaviour is completely unconscionable.

“If you or a family member or friend is the subject of HBV I would encourage you to contact the police, knowing you and/or the victim will be listened to you, believed and protected.”

What is honour-based violence?

In case you don’t know, HBV is a collection of practises, which are used to control behaviour within families to protect perceived cultural and religious beliefs and/or honour.

This type of violence can occur when the perpetrators perceive that a relative has shamed the family and/or community by breaking their honour code.

This subject encompasses a variety of offences including murder, rape, assault, abduction and domestic abuse.

Most victims of HBV are women or girls, although men may also be at risk. Men may be targeted either by the family of a woman who they are believed to have ‘dishonoured’, in which case both parties may be at risk, or by their own family if they are believed to be homosexual.

There isn't one specific crime of honour-based abuse. It can involve a range of crimes and behaviours, such as:

Forced marriage; Domestic abuse (physical, sexual, psychological, emotional or financial); Sexual harassment and sexual violence (rape and sexual assault or the threat of); Threats to kill, physical and emotional violence and murder; Pressure to go or move abroad; Being kept at home with no freedom; Not allowed to use the telephone, internet, or have access to important documents like your passport or birth certificate; Isolation from friends and members of your own family.

Warning signs

If you're concerned about someone being abused, here are some warning signs to look out for:

acting withdrawn or upset; bruising or other unexplained physical injury; depression, self-harming or attempted suicide; unexplained absence or poor performance at school or work; their movements at home are strictly controlled; family rows, domestic violence; running away from home; a family history of relatives going missing.

Honour-based abuse is a crime or incident committed to protect or defend the 'honour' of a family or community.

If your family or community think you've shamed or embarrassed them by behaving in a certain way, they may punish you for breaking their 'honour' code.

For more information on HBV, go to https://lancashire.police.uk/help-advice/personal-safety/forced-marriage-honour-based-violence-and-fgm/

You can report HBV here: https://doitonline.lancashire.police.uk/ or by calling 101. In an emergency always call 999.