Muslim father faces jail unless daughter returned

A Muslim father at the centre of an arranged marriage case involving his daughter will go to prison for contempt of court on Dec 6 unless he takes steps to have her brought back from Egypt, a High Court judge has ruled.

Mr Justice George Birmingham said unless the man uses his influence to ensure the return of his teenage daughter, he will face a term of 12 months imprisonment. He was involved in getting her out of the country in Jan 2012 in clear contempt of court orders, the judge said.

The girl, who lived here from a young age, underwent an arranged marriage here at the age of 16 with a 29-year-old man but, following legal proceedings, it was declared void in 2011 by reason of absence of full, free and informed consent. The HSE had intervened after teachers and social workers expressed concerns the girl had, or was being, coerced by her parents into marriage.