A father and son have been jailed after they brutally attacked and beat their 16-year-old daughter and sister in a case of honour-based violence.

The pair, aged 53 and 22 respectively, and who cannot be named for legal reasons, were sentenced at Preston Crown Court earlier this week after they admitted to assault occasioning actual bodily harm at a property in Pendle.

The offence happened on May 14 after the 16-year-old victim, who also cannot be named for legal reasons, had returned home having gone to the shop for around 10 to 15 minutes to get some fresh air.

The court was told that during that time her family had been ringing her as they did not like her going out.

When she got back home her dad took her phone, and started to hit her, asking her where she had been. He then asked her to go upstairs whilst her brother checked through her phone.

The victim’s brother then demanded she come downstairs and took her dad's walking stick and started to hit her on her back, before it was passed to her father, and he began brutally beating her with it.

The victim’s brother then went into the kitchen and got a pestle and started to hit her with it on her shoulders and back.

All the while her mother and little sister tried to intervene, but they were told to go away.

The court heard how the girl’s brother said he was going to “kill her”, grabbed her and tried to kick her out of the house, before her father took her back inside and started to hit his daughter again.

At this point the girl was crying and telling them to stop. Her brother responded by punching her to the face several times, which made her nose and lip bleed.

Terrified, she managed to run upstairs to the bathroom when her mother did initially manage to stop the men from hitting her.

However, this wasn’t the end as her dad began to hit her again, while her brother attacked her again with the stick.

Jailing the pair, Judge Darren Preston said: “The victim, and victim is what she was and still is, was your daughter and your sister and she was just 16 at the time when you took it upon yourselves, for reasons known only to yourselves to discipline her physically, ferociously, and violently.

“You (father) were the first to use violence, striking her across the back of the head, but you (son) used the more serious violence and started hitting your sister with your father’s stick on her back, effectively wielding a weapon against her.

“You both then proceeded to punch her and to kick her, and to hit her with the stick.

“You (son) used a pestle as a weapon before punching her on the nose.

“And so between you, you used a walking stick as a weapon, a pestle as a weapon and your feet as weapons.

“This was a sustained, nasty and brutal assault on a young girl who was little more than a child.

“I have seen photos of the injuries you caused to that young girl, and your behaviour caused not only injuries of a physical nature but serious distress and mental health problems.

“Fortunately she has put this episode behind her and come out the other side stronger.

“Given the persistent and prolonged nature of the assault and the vulnerability of the victim it is a category two offence as far as harm is concerned and carries a starting point of 18 months in prison had you been convicted at trial.

“The situation is seriously aggravated by the fact this was a joint episode of violence against a child.

“(Father), your distress is as I find distress at your own predicament, but you denied in the pre-sentence report that you were violent towards your daughter, even after pleading guilty, and you blamed your son for the assault.

“You have no empathy at all with your daughter, everything you have demonstrated is based around self-pity.

“Even in the letter I have received today, you take limited responsibility for your actions.

“(Son), your distress in my view is more genuine, and you yourself were subject to the restraints placed upon your family by your father, however that is balanced by the fact you were the one who used more violence, and you were the one who started the use of the weapons.

“Only a custodial sentence is appropriate for violence of this nature.”

The father was sentenced to 19 months in prison and his son was jailed for 16 months.

A police spokesperson said: “We just want to make clear that Lancashire Police will not tolerate any honour-based violence (HBV) and we are committed to protecting the victims of such abhorrent behaviour and prosecuting those who engage in it.”

To help encapsulate the impact the honour-based violence has had on the victim, PC Carley Gaynor from the East hate crime unit summarised the victim’s statement to the court.

PC Gaynor said: “The victim explains at first she was really affected by it because she was taken away from her family and she lived away for four months, which she found hard.

“She says she couldn’t believe her dad and her brother did that to her.

“She says at first she was in pain (from the assault) and she was angry at her family for everything that had happened and at the start she said she didn’t want to go back and she just wanted to leave.”

Despite everything that happened, the victim does now say she wants a relationship with her dad and brother.

PC Gaynor went on: “This was a cowardly attack against a vulnerable girl in her home, committed by the very people who were supposed to love and protect her.

“I want to praise the bravery of the victim in this case. I know the unwarranted attack and everything else that has resulted solely because of the disgraceful actions of the defendants have had a profound effect on the victim and other members of her family.

“I want to thank the family member who reported the HBV attack to the police, recognising such behaviour is completely unconscionable.

“If you or a family member or friend is the subject of HBV, I would encourage you to contact the police, knowing you and/or the victim will be listened to you, believed and protected.”

HBV is a collection of practises, which are used to control behaviour within families to protect perceived cultural and religious beliefs and/or honour.

This type of violence can occur when the perpetrators perceive that a relative has shamed the family and/or community by breaking their honour code.

This subject encompasses a variety of offences including murder, rape, assault, abduction and domestic abuse.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) defines HBV as: A crime or incident, which has or may have been committed, to protect or defend the honour of the family and/or community.

Most victims of HBV are women or girls, although men may also be at risk.

Men may be targeted either by the family of a woman who they are believed to have ‘dishonoured’, in which case both parties may be at risk, or by their own family if they are believed to be homosexual.

Common triggers for HBV include:

  • Refusing an arranged marriage
  • Having a relationship outside the approved group
  • Loss of virginity
  • Pregnancy
  • Spending time without the supervision of a family member
  • Reporting domestic violence
  • Attempting to divorce
  • Pushing for custody of children after divorce
  • Refusing to divorce when ordered to do so by family members

For more information on HBV, go to https://lancashire.police.uk/help-advice/personal-safety/forced-marriage-honour-based-violence-and-fgm/

You can report HBV to police here: https://doitonline.lancashire.police.uk/ or by calling 101.

In an emergency always call 999.