Woman in vegetative state after family 'left her unconscious at home for 3 days'
A vulnerable woman has been left in a "vegetative state" with a severe burn to her back after her family allegedly caused or allowed her to suffer serious physical harm.
Ambreen Fatima Sheikh has never woke up since she fell unconscious in July 2015 and now five of her family members, including her husband and her in-laws, are all standing trial charged with causing or allowing a vulnerable adult to suffer serious physical harm.
The woman's spouse husband, Asgar Sheikh, 30, father-in-law Khalid Sheikh, 55, mother-in-law Shabnam Sheikh, 53, and brother and sister-in-law Shakalayne, 24, and Shagufa Sheikh, 29, have appeared at Leeds Crown Court, which was told Ambreen moved into the family home in 2014 after entering into an arranged marriage with Asgar.
Shagufa, Shabnam and Asgar are also accused of doing an act intending to pervert the course of justice.
All five defendants are accused of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. They deny all of the offences.
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A neighbour in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, told the court she had lived next door for 35 years and knew the Sheikh family. She told jurors in her evidence yesterday she knew the owner of the property was Khalid and would "on occasion" would be aware of visitors, reports Yorkshire Live. She said: "It was mainly the older brother of Khalid and his children."
Matthew Donkin, for the prosecution, asked her: "Do you recall seeing anybody else?" Ms Roach said: "No. I mean, I would see delivery or postmen and what not but visiting? No." Ms Roach said there were times she would see "the daughter," Shagufa and said she would see her with her mother coming home from the shop or helping with work on the house.
Mr Donkin asked her: "There came a time in early August 15 when the police came to your address and spoke to your father and you were made aware that this was following a woman that was living there being taken to hospital - did you know, or were you aware before that information was brought to your attention as to whether there had been a third female living there?"
Ms Roach answered: "No." She added: "I was shocked because I just didn't realise that there was another person living in the house that we weren't aware of."
She told the court she was not aware Asgar Sheikh had got married. The court heard on Tuesday that the prosecution's case is that "one of more of the defendants was responsible for causing her to enter a state of unconsciousness well before the ambulance was called and that she was likely unconscious in that property for at least 24 hours - and possibly two to three days before it arrived."
Robert Steen Smith, prosecuting, said: "She had been vomiting and had been incontinent of urine and steps were taken by one or more of the defendants to try and conceal that fact. It is also almost more than probable that she had ingested antidiabetic medication, causing her to suffer hypoglycemia and she did not ingest that voluntarily."
Mr Smith said that in Ambreen's unconscious condition she "would have been incontinent but when staff [from the ambulance service] arrived she was in a clean condition wearing clean clothes in a clean bed in her sister-in-law's bedroom rather than her own."
He added: "At some stage, one or more of the defendants had removed her soiled clothing, cleaned her body and dressed her and carried her into the other bedroom. The ambulance staff were then presented with a false account that she had suddenly suffering breathing difficulties having been unwell with a headache for three days...
"Ambreen's soiled clothing and bedding on which she had been lying before was moved. It was disposed of by one of more members of the household by depositing those items in a wheelie bin outside the house. Police removed the items and they were analysed...there were some stains or urine and vomit and evidence a pair of trousers had been worn after she had sustained the burn."
The court heard that further examination of Ambreen's body found a number of other injuries including an injury to her right ear and "signs on her back which appeared to be areas of caustic burning". Mr Smith added: "She also showed signs of marks on her toes which may have been consistent with a period of prolonged immobility."
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Mr Smith said that medical experts identified an explanation consistent with Ambreen's presentation which is that "she had suffered from an episode of profound hypoglycemia which results in the swelling of her brain and loss of consciousness."
The trial continues
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