UK Man Guilty Of Torturing Wife, Leaving Her In Vegetative State

A woman was left in a vegetative state by her in-laws in the UK after she was said to have "not lived up to expectations" as a wife, a court was told as per a report in The Telegraph. Ambreen Fatima Sheikh, who came to the UK from Pakistan, suffered "irretrievable" brain damage when she fell unconscious in 2015. Her husband Asghar Sheikh did not call an ambulance for three days after she was effectively tortured, the Leeds Crown Court further heard.

Her lower back had severe burn mark and was force-fed anti-diabetic medication despite not being a diabetic, the woman's lawyers told the court.

Mr Sheikh, 30, her father-in-law Khalid Sheikh, mother-in-law Shabnam Sheikh, and sister-in-law Shagufa Sheikh were convicted on Monday of physically abusing Ms Sheikh.

Ms Sheikh came to the UK in 2014 after her marriage to Asghar Sheikh. She moved into the family home, where she lived with all four of them.

"She eventually became socially isolated... The prosecution contend that she had been - by the end of July 2015 - a vulnerable person," the lawyers said.

Ms Sheikh is also feared to have been doused in chemicals while kept locked away at the family home in Leeds.

Her lawyers also gave details about the "pattern of violence" behind closed doors. They said that Ms Sheikh's husband threatened to kill her sister when she came to visit.

The Telegraph report said that Shagufa Sheikh called for an ambulance on August 1, 2015, claiming her sister-in-law "couldn't breathe properly". When the paramedics arrived, they found Ms Sheikh lying unconscious on the bed.

When tests were conducted, doctors found swelling inside her brain and a severe burn to her lower back. The medical experts claimed it was caused by "some form of caustic substance".

The jury took 10 hours to find Ms Sheikh's in-laws guilty of causing serious physical harm to her. The sentencing will be held at a later date, the court said.