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young Harry Potter actress Afshan Azad was beaten by her brother and called a “slag” after going out with a non-Muslim.

The 22-year-old, who played the teenage wizard’s classmate Padma Patil in the hit films, fled in terror through her bedroom window following alleged threats to kill her.

She was assaulted and branded a “prostitute” after meeting a young Hindu man – a relationship which infuriated brother Ashraf, 28, and dad Abul, 53, a court heard yesterday.

But despite attempts to get the frightened actress to court for their trial, she did not turn up.

Both men had been charged with threatening to kill her but were cleared after the brother’s guilty plea to assault was accepted and her father agreed to be bound over to keep the peace.

Afshan was plucked from obscurity to play identical twin Padma, appearing first in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and then three other films.

The court heard she was attacked at the family home in Longsight, Manchester, after filming her part in the final instalment of the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Richard Vardon QC, prosecuting, told Manchester crown court: “She was the victim of a wholly unnecessary and unpleasant assault by her brother. The reason for the assault, apparently her association with a Hindu young man that apparently was disapproved of by her family, who are Muslim.

“Specifically she spoke not only of assault but also threats to kill, made jointly by her father and brother.”

The prosecutor said the father was woken on May 21 by his furious son Ashraf attacking the young actress after overhearing her talking on the phone to her boyfriend.

Her brother shouted: “Sort out your daughter! She’s a slag!”

Afshan was labelled a prostitute during an angry discussion between the father and son and the alleged threats to kill her were made before she escaped by climbing out of her bedroom window. She then made a statement to police alleging assault.

The court also heard her father wanted to enter her into a “forced marriage of some kind”.

But after going to the police, she insisted she did not want any action taken against the pair because it would put her in “genuine danger” and she later made “retraction statements”. She “put a gloss” on her father’s words by saying she found it hard to understand his heavy Bengali accent so could not be sure what he had said.

Mr Vardon said “expensive and time- consuming” steps had been taken to make sure she went to court to give evidence but it had not been possible to ensure her voluntary attendance.

However, he said despite her non-attendance, had a guilty plea not been made the prosecution would have gone ahead with the trial solely on the basis of her statement to police.

Afshan’s brother admitted one charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and will be sentenced on January 21. The victim’s father agreed to be bound over to keep the peace for 12 months in the sum of £500.

The judge directed not guilty verdicts be recorded for both defendants on the threat to kill charges.

Judge Roger Thomas QC told the father: “You have got to be of good and peaceable behaviour towards your daughter.

“It is a way of the court trying to bring order and peace in general and in particular to you and your family.”

His son was granted bail until he is sentenced on condition he lives at the family’s home address, does not contact his sister and does not travel to London.