A 23-year-old woman, imprisoned in her Twickenham home by her in-laws, was rescued after a neighbour acted on her desperate note for help.

Last week the woman's husband and mother-in-law were jailed for imprisoning the young bride. Her husband was also found guilty of raping her.

The woman's ordeal began after her marriage to a 28-year-old construction worker began to fail. The woman married her husband in Pakistan in 1995 and moved to Lancashire with her in-laws. But the marriage soon began to deteriorate and the family moved to their second home in Twickenham.

While her husband remained in the north during the week because of his work, his young bride was subjected to physical and mental abuse by his mother, sister and brother.

She was forced to sleep on the floor and do the housework. She was not allowed to leave the house by herself and was banned from watching television or reading a newspaper.

Her in-laws also stopped her from writing to her family in Pakistan. She also suffered beatings from her husband and his mother.

Wendy Joseph, prosecuting, said: "Finally she could bear it no longer and on August 3, 1997 she wrote a letter in the best English she could muster seeking help."

The note was passed to a neighbour and just days later police took the girl to safety.

The woman's 58-year-old mother in law was given a 12 month prison sentence after being found guilty of false imprisonment. Her son was sentenced to five and half years for rape. Her second son and daughter were also found guilty of imprisonment but are not expected to be given prison sentences.

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