Six siblings jailed for attempted kidnap of sister's girlfriend

Six siblings from a "traditional Asian Muslim family" from Lancashire have been jailed for attempting to kidnap the girlfriend of one of their sisters, threatening to kill her because she had "messed with the wrong Muslims". Almost three years ago Nazma Ditta, 28, one of nine children from Blackburn, began a secret relationship with Sarah-Jane Harrison, 35, when both women worked at a clothes shop in Blackburn. Unhappy that Nazma was in a same-sex relationship with a white, non-Muslim woman, six of her siblings plotted to break up the relationship.



They wanted her to enter into an arranged marriage with a cousin or another man, and discussed putting her on a plane to Pakistan. Three of Nazma's sisters, one wearing a full-face veil, were caught on CCTV kicking and punching Harrison after she finished work at USC Clothing in Blackburn town centre on 20 June last year. They were shown dragging her to the floor by her hair and snatching her handbag, before rifling through it to take out Nazma's passport and other things belonging to her. Previously, text messages exchanged between the siblings had talked about "battering that bitch". One, sent by Nayyar Mehmood, 38, the second eldest sibling, urged her siblings to attack Harrison and said: "A kaffir [non-believer] is taking over."

CCTV shows Nighat Morris, 39, the eldest child in the family, along with her sisters Tosif Ditta, 35, and Ghazala Ditta, 31, trying and failing to bundle Harrison into the back of a car before driving away. They were guarded throughout the attack by Tahmoor Ditta, 26, one of Nazma's brothers. He had a bradawl, a sharp carpentry tool, "clenched in his fist with the spike poking out between his fingers", which he used to try to scare off one of Harrison's colleagues who tried to intervene in the attack. Both Harrison and her colleague told police the family shouted: "Get her in, get her in, you've messed with the wrong Muslims, we're going to kill you."


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Tamoor Ditta, 26, admitted several charges including conspiracy to commit actual bodily harm and attempted kidnap. He was sentenced to six years in prison. Ghazala Ditta, 31, Aftah Ditta, 32, and Nighat Morris, 39, were all sentenced to five years and four months in prison after admitting conspiracy to commit actual bodily harm, attempted kidnap and robbery. Tosif Ditta, 34, and Nayyar Mehmood, 38, were both sentenced to three years and six months in prison after admitting conspiracy to commit actual bodily harm. Miss Ditta and Miss Harrison are still in a relationship.