Nadia Menaz, 24, a model and mum of one (a daughter), from Manchester was found hanging at her home in Oldham, five months after taking out a court order to stop her family allegedly forcing her into an arranged marriage, an inquest has heard.
The inquest was told she was already married to Umar Rasool in an Islamic ceremony but the union was not recognised under English law and allegedly her family did not approve of her husband.
It was claimed Mrs Menaz was so troubled by her ‘very strained’ relationship with her parents that she suffered from depression and bouts of self harm. She eventually took out a court order on December 5th to apparently stop her mother Ruksana Kousar (55) and father Sabir Hussain (60) and three of her seven siblings from allegedly forcing her into another marriage.
At the hearing Mr Hussain and Mrs Kousar reportedly denied attempting to force Mrs Menaz into marriage and allegedly claimed her daughter had been murdered by a ‘third party’.
In the weeks before her death Mrs Menaz underwent psychiatric treatment at Royal Oldham Hospital but was later discharged. On the day of her death on May 1, she allegedly had an argument with Mr Rasool, who then went to see his family and went to their local mosque.
She apparently sent him a text saying she was going to hang herself and when he returned home at around 6.30pm he allegedly found his wife’s body.
Police investigations have ruled out third party involvement. A post-mortem confirmed a cause of death as hanging and also noted 60 wounds to her thigh that appeared to be self-inflicted.
Mr Rasool has denied any involvement in either an altercation or alternatively the act of causing Nadia to be placed in the position he saw her when he returned.
The inquest will be concluded at a later date.
