A woman who married an Afghan migrant has told how her life became a living nightmare after he exploited her to gain access to Britain. The British woman married the man after they formed a relationship when she felt “sorry for him” as a new arrival in the UK with nothing to his name apart from the clothes he was standing in. Afghanistan is one of the key countries where migrants come from who wish to claim asylum in the UK.
The kind-hearted woman and the migrant, who have been named as Amelia and Javad to protect their identities, met in Kent and Amelia said she bought clothes for Javad and paid for English lessons and lawyers to help with his asylum application. She told The Telegraph at the start of their acquaintance Javad was “sweet” and even “cycled through the rain to bring her flowers”. The relationship blossomed and the pair were later married and went on to have a daughter, but Amelia quickly noticed a change in her husband’s behaviour as he became increasingly abusive and controlling.
The Telegraph reports that Javad’s asylum application was granted last year, but his former wife, who he divorced months after the birth of their child, told the paper she now feels completely isolated.
She claims Javad used the birth of their child to assist his successful asylum application, which had been rejected multiple times before, and that now despite claiming he was living in fear of returning home to Afghanistan he has travelled to the country numerous time and even got married there.
Amelia says the Home Office have ignored her reports of Javad’s blatant behaviour in contravention of what he claimed to gain asylum. Heartbreakingly she says she feels ignored by both the Home Office and the justice system.
Recalling the abuse she suffered, Amelia said Javad threatened to kill her, threatened to kill her child and held a butcher’s knife to her throat while she was pregnant with that child. At one stage he even appeared in her home standing at the end of her bed.
She said: “I thought he could have just killed me in my sleep, I wouldn’t have had the time to fight.
“In hindsight, it’s blatantly apparent to me that our relationship, marriage, and him wanting to have a child with me were all part of him doing whatever was necessary to remain in England.”
Amelia also said Javad followed her, monitored her movements constantly, and forbade her speaking to any other men or friends. She said he would call her a“whore”, a “b****” and a “slut” daily.
It’s reported around 6,000 weddings have taken place between Brits and Afghan migrants in the UK since 2019. Most are probably happy and legitimate, but Amelia’s case highlights how some people can be exploited. When a migrant has a British child, deportation and removal can become much more difficult for the authorities.
Amelia said in her case Javad acted so “cunningly” she was “oblivious at the time”, adding: “But now the damage is done. I’ve lost everything and will never live a normal life again.
“My daughter has never had a normal, happy childhood. Our lives are thoroughly destroyed, and it’s merely collateral damage to him.”
In a worrying detail Amelia claims she wrote the Home Office warning he had made threats against her and her child, but officials still granted him asylum. She said she even provided evidence from his social media accounts of him visiting Afghanistan.
A Home Office spokesman told the Telegraph: “While we do not comment on individual cases, we take any abuse of the immigration system extremely seriously. Where there is evidence of wrongdoing, we will take firm action to challenge it and protect the integrity of our borders.”
As far as the justice system is concerned, it’s reported a family court failed to find proof of an allegation Javad had asked Amelia for their baby to marry his brother’s son. However, allegations were proved of physical assault, rape, threatening to burn down her house with her child in it, and hold her and her baby againt their will. Javad is yet to face prosecution and reportedly is living in Afghanistan in a “mansion” built with money illegally earned in the UK.
Amelia has been left with a diagnosis of severe, complex PTSD. She said: “What he’s done to me is worse than killing me. My life is utterly destroyed,” she says. “I can’t have a relationship. I can’t work. I haven’t walked down a street in years. I live like a complete fugitive.”