London: Harry Potter actress Afshan Azad, whose brother has been jailed for assaulting her, was tortured by her family with ‘marry a Muslim or die’ threat, the court heard.
On discovering that the actress was involved in a relationship with a non-Muslim man, her married brother, Ashraf, grabbed her by the hair, threw her across a room and punched her in the head and back as she cowered on the floor of the family home.
“She was told that she had to marry a Muslim or die. She was feeling very scared,” the Daily Mail quoted Richard Vardon QC, prosecuting, as saying.
The identity of the man who she was in a relationship with was then revealed and Azad went out to look for him, the court heard.
The star went back to bed but fled the home through her bedroom window the following morning and made a statement to police.
Azad, 28, pleaded guilty in December to assaulting her at the family home.
Manchester Crown Court has sentenced Ashraf Azad for six months saying the assault an 'ill-tempered attempt to dissuade her from continuing the relationship'.