Father ordered to release adult daughter locked in flat 'for kissing a guy'

A 21-year-old woman who found herself at the centre of a British High Court battle after complaining that she had been imprisoned by her father in Saudi Arabia has yet to return to the UK - despite a landmark ruling by a judge, a lawyer says.

Father ordered to release adult daughter locked in flat 'for kissing a guy'

A 21-year-old woman who found herself at the centre of a British High Court battle after complaining that she had been imprisoned by her father in Saudi Arabia has yet to return to the UK - despite a landmark ruling by a judge, a lawyer says.

Mr Justice Holman ordered Saudi academic Mohammed Al-Jeffery to return Amina Al-Jeffery to Britain on August 3 after analysing the case at a public hearing in the Family Division of the High Court in London.

The judge said Mr Al-Jeffery had to "permit and facilitate" Miss Al-Jeffery's return to England or Wales by 4pm on September 11.

Solicitor Anne-Marie Hutchinson, who represents Miss Al-Jeffery and is a partner at London law firm Dawson Cornwell, said on Monday that her client had yet to return.

Miss Al-Jeffery - who grew up in Swansea and has dual British and Saudi Arabian nationality - complained her father locked her up in his flat in Jeddah because she had ''kissed a guy''.

She had described herself as being ''locked in a cage''.

Her father disputed her allegations and said he was trying to protect her.

Mr Justice Holman concluded that Miss Al-Jeffery's freedom of movement had been severely constrained.

He said she could be described as ''caged'' - although she was not literally ''in a cage''.

The judge said she was a British citizen abroad who was in peril and who needed protection.

He concluded he had the power to make protective orders and said doing nothing would be a ''dereliction''.

Dawson Cornwell lawyers had described the ruling as a landmark and said they expected Mr Al-Jeffery to comply with Mr Justice Holman's order.

more courts articles

Former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson arrives at court to face sex charges Former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson arrives at court to face sex charges
Case against Jeffrey Donaldson to be heard in court Case against Jeffrey Donaldson to be heard in court
Defendant in Cobh murder case further remanded in custody Defendant in Cobh murder case further remanded in custody

More in this section

Head of Vietnamese parliament resigns amid corruption probe Head of Vietnamese parliament resigns amid corruption probe
Students resume pro-Palestinian protests at prestigious Paris university Students resume pro-Palestinian protests at prestigious Paris university
Donald Trump Trump hush money trial to resume with cross-examination of ex-tabloid publisher
Cookie Policy Privacy Policy Brand Safety FAQ Help Contact Us Terms and Conditions

© Examiner Echo Group Limited