Woman abused by her family for almost 10 years, Dubai court told

At court on Tuesday, her father said she had decided to drop criminal charges against her family

A woman was locked up, beaten and deprived of food by her family for almost 10 years, Dubai Criminal Court was told.

Prosecutors said the 26-year-old Jordanian woman was subjected to abuse from her mother, two of her sisters and a brother since 2009.

Her father and a third sister are charged of being aware of the assault but failing to report it to police.

The woman told prosecutors that she had an altercation with her mother nine years ago and that afterwards her mother installed locks on her bedroom door and windows in their home in Al Barsha.

"She banned me from going outside, gave me very little food, beat me up and instructed two of my sisters to hit me. One of them once hit me with a broom stick and broke my teeth," she said.
She also said her sisters, aged 23 and 31, would keep her locked up when their mother was travelling and her brother, 20, often used a Taser gun to abuse her.
Her third sister, aged 25, and her father allegedly knew about the abuse but did nothing to help.
In January last year, while her mother was travelling, the woman managed to run away from home with the help of her 15-year-old sister and called Dubai Police.
"I remember her being subjected to all sorts of abuse since I was six years old. She used to seek help form all of us but no one would help in fear of our mother," said the 15-year-old sister who also said she witnessed most of the assaults, including her brother using a Taser on her.
Court records did not disclose what caused the initial argument between the woman and her mother.

A medical report from Rashid Hospital showed that the woman had been physically assaulted, has multiple scars on her face and is bald in areas on her scalp, though it did not explain the reason for this. It also showed that two of her front teeth had been broken.
Only her father attended court on Tuesday to deny a charge of failing to report the abuse to police.

The mother, three sisters and brother did not attend court to face charges of confinement and physical abuse.

The father told the court that his daughter had dropped criminal charges against her family.
The next hearing is scheduled for May 15.