A GRANDFATHER was jailed for 28 days for lying under oath about the spiriting of his granddaughter out of Britain under the cover of darkness.
Ali Rasul was imprisoned by Justice Keehan for committing contempt of court during a High Court case involving the whereabouts of the three-month-old Farah Afzal.
Baby Farah was taken to Spain by her parents - Mr Rasul's daughter Zainab Rasul and son-in-law Mohammed Afzal - on January 16 from the house Mr Rasul shares with wife Nazma and the paternal grandmother.
Mr Keehan’s judgment said: “The local authority are involved because of concerns they have about the long-standing drug abuse of both parents.
“The child was permitted to live with her mother at the grandparents’ home on the basis that that may afford some degree of protection to the child, and she would not be exposed to drug taking by either one of her parents or that she would not be at risk of harm in their care if and when they were under the influence of drugs.”
Harrow Council won a court order forcing the grandparents to divulge to its social services staff “all information relating to the whereabouts of the child”.
Mr Rasul said in evidence he did not know his daughter and son-in-law were actually about to flee the country with his granddaughter when they left the house in the dead of night.
Mr Justice Keehan said: “The idea that this grandfather would be told by his daughter that they were visiting social workers at three o'clock in the morning is utterly absurd and totally incredible, and I conclude that the grandfather is lying.
“What has now come to light, and what he did not tell me, was that on Friday January 24, he arranged, by Western Union money transfer, to send the sum of £500 to his daughter in Barcelona in Spain.
“The grandfather told me in evidence today that not only did he see his daughter leaving the house, he helped her fold the child’s buggy so that it could be placed in the taxi.
“I simply cannot believe and do not accept that if the grandfather did not know the child was in the car, the first thing he would have done on returning to the house was to look to see where the baby was.”
Mr Justice Keehan was asked to reconsider or even suspended the sentence by Mr Rasul’s counsel but the judge decided to jail the grandfather immediately on January 31.
The judge wrote in his sentencing remarks: “I ask myself rhetorically: what reasons might he have for lying?
“There is, in my judgment, only one reason why he is lying, and that is to protect his daughter and to prevent their whereabouts being discovered and, most importantly of all, the baby, Farah, being returned to this jurisdiction.”
After the case, council leader Councillor Susan Hall (Conservative) said: "We are increasingly worried about the welfare of this baby and we need to get her home.
"The important thing is for the parents to return so we can sit down and discuss the issues involved.
"My appeal to the parents is to come home and let’s resolve this together – it’s the only course in the long run and we need to know your baby is safe and well."
