PARIS:An academic at the centre of family court litigation in London after being accused of imprisoning his 21-year-old daughter at their home in Saudi Arabia has failed in a bid to limit reporting of the case.
\nAmina Al-Jeffery – who grew up in Swansea and has dual British and Saudi Arabian nationality – says her father, Mohammed Al-Jeffery, locks her up because she ”kissed a guy”.
\nLawyers representing Miss Al-Jffery have taken legal action in London in a bid to protect her.
\nThey have asked Mr Justice Holman to look at ways of coming to her aid.
\nThe judge has analysed the case at a public hearing in the Family Division of the High Court in London.
\nA hearing ended late on Saturday, lawyers are due to file final documentation on Monday and Mr Justice Holman is scheduled to deliver a ruling on Saturday.
\nMr Justice Holman has said that there are reasons to be very concerned about Miss Al-Jeffery’s welfare – and he has rejected an application from Mr Al-Jeffery for restrictions to be placed on what journalists can report.
\nThe judge has been told that MissAl-Jeffery left Swansea and moved to Saudi Arabia at her father’s insistence four years ago.
\nHe has heard that Miss Al-Jeffery’s mother and siblings are back in South Wales.
\nNeither Miss Al-Jeffery nor her father, who is in his 60s, have been at the court hearing in London.
\nBarristers Henry Setright QC and Michael Gration represented Miss Al-Jeffery have outlined concerns.
\nBarrister Marcus Scott-Manderson QC represented Mr Al-Jeffery.
\nMr Scott-Manderson told Mr Justice Holman at the end of proceedings on Saturday that Mr Al-Jeffery wanted “reporting restrictions”. But Mr Justice Holman said: “No. Afraid not.”
\nHe said Mr Al-Jeffery had not warned media organisations of his application to limit journalists’ human right to free speech – a right enshrined in Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
\nAnd he said there were good reasons for staging the hearing in public – even though it was in a family court – and allowing journalists to report freely.
\nMr Justice Holman said the case involved the welfare of an adult who was a British citizen.
\nHe said he had heard evidence in public and would deliver a ruling in public.
\n“I happen to think that the case raises issues that require to be ventilated in public,” said the judge.
\n“This is not just tittle-tattle stuff. There are very serious issues here.”
\nHe added: “I dare say the publicity is extremely disagreeable to the father.”
\nMr Justice Holman has described the case as very serious and said Mr Al-Jeffery is not seeing the situation through the ”right perspective”.
\nThe judge has said it is possible that Miss Al-Jeffery is being manipulative but he added that there is a ”degree of admission” from her father. He said Mr Al-Jeffery had admitted locking his daughter in his flat when he went out.
\nMr Al-Jeffery also previously admitted having ”steel latticework” over the windows so Miss Al-Jeffery could not shout out.
\nThe judge also heard that Miss Al-Jeffery had been arrested for kissing and hugging an American student on a Saudi university campus.
\nMr Scott-Manderson said Mr Al-Jeffery had ”required” his daughter to go to South Africa when she was 16 because he was concerned about the life she led in South Wales.
\n”His concern is that she is going to be at risk (in Britain),” Mr Scott-Manderson told the judge.
\n”He is the head of a family that has its own moral and cultural standards.”
\nMr Scott-Manderson reported that Mr Al-Jeffery had said: ”I will not allow Amina to go back to a toxic lifestyle.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
PARIS:An academic at the centre of family court litigation in London after being accused of imprisoning his 21-year-old daughter at their home in Saudi Arabia has failed in a bid to limit reporting of the case. Amina Al-Jeffery – who grew up in Swansea and has dual British and Saudi Arabian nationality – says her […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":215,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-133","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n