Harry Potter star beaten up by brother over Hindu boyfriend

Afshan fled after father and brother assaulted and threatened to kill her.

LONDON: Afshan Azad, who stars in the Harry Potter movies, was beaten and threatened with death by her father and brother after she met a young Hindu man, the Manchester Crown Court was told on Monday.

Afshan, 22, plays Padma Patil, a witch and classmate of the boy wizard. The court heard that she had been so terrified by the violent confrontation that Afshan fled through her bedroom window after her father, Abul Azad (53) and brother Ashraf (28) called her a prostitute, assaulted and threatened to kill her.

The incident took place on May 21 after which Afshan, who is of Bangladeshi origin, reportedly fled to London after making a statement to the police. Later, however, she decided she did not want any action to be taken against her family and failed to turn up as a witness in court on Monday.

According to some reports this is because she feared that pursuing the case would put her in ‘genuine danger’. She reportedly also told police that her father wanted to force her into an arranged marriage. The judge heard that she refused to give evidence despite ‘expensive and time consuming efforts’ made by the prosecution service.

Both men had been charged with making threats to kill her and her brother was charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm. In the absence of a witness, the prosecution accepted a guilty plea from Afshan’s brother for assault and her father accepted to be bound over to keep the peace for 12 months. The brother is on bail awaiting sentencing.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 22^nd, 2010.