Nadia Menaz, 24, (left) was found dead at her home in Oldham, Greater Manchester, five months after taking out a court order to stop her family from forcing her to marry, Rochdale Coroner’s Court heard. The mother-of-one had already married in an Islamic ceremony, but the union was not recognised under English law, and her family, including father Sabir Hussain, 60, (top right) and mother Ruksana Kousar, 55, (bottom right) did not approve of her husband, Umar Rasool, Oldham Coroner’s Court heard.
The hearing was told that Ms Menaz had a ‘very strained’ relationship with her parents. She had also suffered depression, and had self harmed, as well as cutting off her hair. Ms Menaz, a former army cadet who had wanted to join the police but started modelling after leaving home at 16, had met Mr Rasool, 25, in 2010.
They began dating and had kept their relationship hidden from her parents until they married in an Islamic ceremony in April 2011. The marriage was never formally confirmed under English law, but the couple had a daughter who was born in March 2012.
In December last year, Ms Menaz took out a forced marriage protection order at the Family Court in Manchester against her father Sabir Hussain, 60, her mother Ruksana Kousar, 55, and three of her eight siblings. According to government guidelines, the legislation protects women if they are being threatened with a forced marriage or are already within a forced marriage.
At inquest, Mr Hussain and Mrs Kousar denied attempting to force Ms Menaz into marriage and initially claimed they were unaware of the forced marriage protection order.