Cellar slave girl: Salford couple must pay victim £100,000

[n2doc]

A deaf girl from Pakistan kept as a slave for nine years by a millionaire couple from Salford is to receive £100,000 in compensation.

Ilyas and Tallat Ashar were jailed last October after the girl was found in their cellar in 2009.

The victim was repeatedly raped and forced to work as a servant at the family's properties as a child.

Manchester Crown Court ruled the couple must also repay £42,000 of benefits falsely claimed in her name.

The Ashars must also pay £321,000 towards the cost of their trials.


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http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-manchester-29559771

[Nye Bevan]

1. Seems a ridiculously low amount, especially given that they are millionaires.

At the very least, the £321,000 "cost of the trial" should also go to the victim; let the state pay for the cost of the trial as I am sure they do in most cases.

[unblock]

2. the cost of administering justice is more than triple the damages?

wow.

GBP 100,000 over nine years works out to about GBP 1.26 per hour, given that she was held 24/365.

[NaturalHigh]

3. At least they're both going to jail too.

During their trial last year, Ilyas Ashar, 85, was found guilty of 13 counts of raping the girl.

He and his wife, Tallat Ashar, 69, were both convicted of benefit fraud and trafficking.

The Court of Appeal extended their jail terms to 15 years and six years respectively this February, after the pair's sentencing last year was described as "unduly lenient".

[Gidney N Cloyd]

4. "Lawyers for the couple argued a deduction should be made for board and lodging accrued by the girl"

Thus lending weight to every lawyer joke ever.

[Nye Bevan]

5. Oh. My. God.

That has to be about the worst thing a lawyer has ever said in a courtroom. If I was the attorney I would resign and forgo my fee rather than make that argument.