Ilyas Ashar and his wife Tallat Ashar trafficked the girl from Pakistan. PHOTO: BBC.
Ilyas Ashar, 84, and his wife Tallat Ashar, 68, kept the girl in the cellar of their house in Salford, northwest England, after she was illegally brought to Britain in 2000 at the age of around 10.
Ilyas Ashar was jailed for 13 years for raping the girl from before the age of puberty until she was rescued in 2009, while his wife was jailed for five years for trafficking a person for exploitation.
The couple were also convicted of using the girl, who is profoundly deaf and cannot speak, to fraudulently claim more than £30,000 ($48,000, 35,000 euros) in welfare payments.
The couple's daughter Faaiza Ashar, 46, was sentenced to carry out community service after being convicted of giving false information to obtain benefits.
The victim cannot be named for legal reasons.
Sentencing the couple at Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester, Judge Peter Lakin said the couple had subjected the girl "to a life of misery and degradation".
"You, Ilyas Ashar, and you, Tallat Ashar, did not treat this girl as a human being. To you she was merely an object to be used, abused and cast aside at will," he said.
The girl had no family or friends in Britain and had never been to school there or in Pakistan but was taught to sign her name to claim state benefits, the trial heard.
She wanted to return to her family in Pakistan but was not allowed to.
Ashar routinely raped her, despite her efforts to fight him off, and he also beat and slapped her if she did not follow orders.
Her plight was discovered after police and local authorities raided the house in 2009 and found her asleep in the cold and dark cellar.
The trial heard that the victim was now recovering with the help of social services.
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@Ahmad: Are you a friend?
may Allah SWT's justice come very very soon Ameen.... it is the religion of Islam which is against the oppression these people have shown, if all that this article states is true!!! what is the difference between these people and oppressors like the Pharoah and other oppressors we have today and in the past.. the only difference is that the oppression is being committed to a smaller scale here, where as in the world it is happening to a larger scale.. without people knowing about it.. or those who do know about it turn a blind eye.. those people should be help accountable too Ameen !!!
What evidence judge had to reach that she was raped during 2000-2009? Proofs are not shared if there were any. The couple should be given exemplary punishment in case they are the culprit but I cant digest how a man of 70 plus would be able to rape!
@Zif:
Muslims.
British people should spare at least deaf Pakistanis. So sad to here this.
@Majid: The guilty are UK citizens... You are right. However, they are also muslims who have the highest crime rate and least educated in the Western World. I am embarrassed to be a muslim.
The guilty are UK citizens. This is nothing to do with Pakistan. Why does ET publish this.
Jaahil Jaanwars, all those involved.
Only 13 years? What kind of law Britain has... Im even more disgusted and sad to know that he is given such a small punishment :s
i am in favor of Shariah in such cases :-/
Had it been an achievement, ET would have mentioned it as British-Pakistani
Horrifying!! Are people like these completely devoid of any conscience? She was deaf and mute, a young girl but most importantly a human being! How could they just ruin her for life!!! Completely agreeing with some of the comments above - they should be stoned to death - 13 years and 5 years of sentence is just nothing!! Hope the girl could learn to lead a normal life from now onwards!!
@Zif:
We are supposed to be Human first .. so the question is What kind of human are we?
She better stay put in Britain. Her relatives in Pakistan would not be too thrilled hearing she got raped; she would be probably honour killed there.
Daughter was sentenced to community service after being convicted of giving false information to obtain benefits.......That is not enough, she should be made to pay all the benefits back plus heavy fine to send signal to immigrants who abuse welfare system in Western countries.
An innocent MAN wrongly accused and convicted of rape
Disgusting! Let them serve a more severe and an exemplary punishment!!
P.S. Now some self hating Pakistani Key board warriors and a few friends from across the border will somehow relate this couple's crime to all Pakistanies, generalize all of us as a disgrace and bring in whole Pakistan and Islam to bash this indivdual act.
Shame,shame! What kind of muslims are we?