Heroin dealer subjected his wife to a year of 'hell' and terrorised her into wearing a veil after she said she wanted to go to college

Jubel Miah, 21, from Burnley ripped her tongue and kicked and punched her

Miah was jailed for 16 weeks after admitting common assault by beating

He was convicted of possessing heroin with intent to supply when he was 17



Jailed: Jubel Miah admitted common assault by beating

A heroin dealer who subjected his battered wife to a year of ‘hell’ after he terrorised her into wearing a veil has been jailed but may go free - in just eight weeks.



Jubel Miah, 21 - who in 2010 was sent to a young offenders institute for possessing heroin with intent to supply - had ordered his terrified spouse to wear a full niqab after she said she was going to college to study.

Initially he called her a ‘slag and b****’ for wanting to better her education, then sneered: ‘You are a married woman. You don’t do this.’



The unnamed wife only agreed to wear the full face veil, with just eye holes after thinking he would stop him making her life a misery.



But instead Miah began beating her - initially because she was not smiling during Eid celebrations with family.



During a catalogue of violent and controlling behaviour, Miah from Burnley, Lancashire, ripped her tongue, kicked and punched her, inflicted black eyes on her and battered her confidence.



He also tracked her movements using his mobile phone, tried to stop her going to college, accused her of cheating and falsely claiming there were ‘spies’ in their loft.



When the victim became pregnant she was found to have injuries to her body and eye when she went to hospital for a 16-week check-up.



And when she later went through a traumatic birth delivering a premature baby, Miah was so enraged that a male doctor was treating his wife afterwards, a female medic had to be brought. He was also very irate and threatening to people trying to help the family.



The wife finally escaped from his clutches after he subjected her to a sustained attack in which he stabbed her with scissors and hit her with a dumbell.



Details of her ordeal emerged at Burnley magistrates court as Miah was locked away for 16 weeks after admitting common assault by beating.



He was also given an indefinite restraining order to keep him away from the victim. The sentence means Miah could be free in just two months for good behaviour. The maximum sentence he could have faced was six months.



After the case Rachel Horman, head of the domestic violence division at law firm Watson Ramsbottom, said: ‘The sentence is an insult to the victim and people will view the punishment as a slap on the wrist.



‘There has been a prolonged 12-month ordeal, so why was only one charge brought? It’s absolutely shocking and it makes me really angry.



‘If this was an attack by a stranger in the street, I can guarantee it would have been a different story. Domestic violence is often under-sentenced and too much blame is given to the victims.’



Earlier, prosecutor Miss Charlotte Crane said the beatings began after Miah ‘interrogated’ his wife about going to college and wearing the veil.



He had qualified for the welfare support payments as he could not walk more than five-metres in a minute - but he should not have been able to claim the payments while living outside the UK, Burnley Magistrates Court heard

Last November the couple had been at Eid celebrations with family, she was playing with some children and Miah demanded to know why she was not smiling. He slapped her face and pushed her against a wall and held her there.



Miss Crane said he apologised, the relationship continued but he then accused the victim of talking to men when she was out. The victim, then four months pregnant, said she wasn’t, but was given a black eye.



She pleaded with him to stop the abuse and in April the baby was born 10 weeks prematurely. It was kept in special care and every day when the victim returned home from visiting the infant, she was met with further insults.



The couple separated but got back together and Miah accused neighbours of spying on her. He ordered her to sit down in silence, left his iPhone on record and checked it on his return to make sure she had not spoken to anybody. He claimed there were people spying and people in the loft.



Miss Crane said on September 17, the victim tried to pacify Miah when he believed people were in the house and was angry. He punched her repeatedly, told her he didn’t believe she wasn’t cheating, rammed his fingers in her mouth, pulled her tongue and scratched it until it bled.



He kicked and struck her thigh, picked up some scissors and threatened to stab her. The victim put up her right arm and Miah plunged the scissors into her hand, causing a deep gash. He then struck her on the back with a large dumbell.



The victim escaped to her mother’s, where her injuries were seen and she told of the abuse. Police were called. The victim had a black eye, cuts to her face, hand and leg and her tongue was sore.



Miss Crane added: ‘The defendant is not interested in showing any remorse in any way, shape or form, with regards to the hell he has put this lady through over the last 12 months.



‘If that doesn’t warrant an immediate custodial sentence at the higher level, I don’t know what does.’



In mitigation defence lawyer Adnan Hanif said: ‘It’s not often that I am lost for words.’ He said what Miah had done would probably cause lasting scars to the victim and her family. His family was very upset with him.

