Court hears mother beat daughter after she refused arranged marriage in NSW

Enam Hmeed, 45, and her husband Mohamed Al-Fadhli were arrested in April after police found their daughter Rhonda, 21, at the family’s Western New South Wales convenience store with a metal chain padlocked around her neck, authorities said. The pair face charges of detaining in company and domestic violence assault occasioning actual bodily harm. No pleas have been entered. Police allege the couple assaulted Rhonda on separate occasions after learning she remained in contact with a boyfriend who had asked to marry her, a union the father reportedly opposed as part of an arranged marriage to wed his eldest daughter to his brother’s son, Rhonda’s first cousin.

Police say after discovering Rhonda on the phone with her boyfriend, Enam Hmeed grabbed her by the hair and struck her head against a concrete wall several times, and the mother is also accused of biting her and attacking her with a garden hose. Al-Fadhli allegedly traveled nearly 400 kilometers back to the family’s shop in Dubbo from Sydney Airport after hearing from his wife about the secret phone call.

Rhonda was able to contact police and her boyfriend using a hidden phone on two separate occasions on April 20. On the second call, officers found Rhonda with a chain padlocked around her neck, Supreme Court Justice Robertson Wright told the court as he varied Hmeed’s bail conditions. The judge said the change allows the mother to return to the family home in the Sydney suburb of Yagoona after Rhonda said she would never visit the house. Hmeed has been living with a friend since being bailed in June. The case will return to Dubbo Local Court on October 23. Hmeed and Al-Fadhli have not entered pleas, and lawyers on Tuesday signaled a contested hearing may be scheduled.

Under Australian law, marriage between siblings or to a descendant, such as a grandchild, is prohibited, but cousins are permitted to marry if both parties freely consent. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732), Lifeline 13 11 14, and the Men’s Referral Service 1300 766 491 are available for those seeking support.