Current Affairs24th July 2026
Four men from Telford have been sentenced to a combined total of almost 30 years in prison for kidnapping and torturing a 21-year-old man — an attack the court heard was carried out over “perceived family honour” after the victim began messaging the sister of two of his attackers.
Shrewsbury Crown Court heard that the victim was abducted from his home in Telford, Shropshire by four men on 29th December 2025 and taken to a shipping container where he was beaten. The attackers also called the victim’s father to demand £20,000 from his family, in ransom money, the court heard, and they were told if it was not produced, he would be killed.
Brothers Jawad Hussain, Ehteshan Hussain and Shayyan Hussain, along with Faheem Chohan, were sentenced this week for their roles in the kidnapping. It was noted that the brothers Ehteshan and Shayyan Hussain ‘occupied a leading operational role’, while their distant cousins Faheem Chohan and Jawad Hussain both ‘willingly participated’. It is reported that the attackers were previously close to the victim, however their relationship changed when he started messaging the Hussain brothers’ sister.
Judge Trevor Meegan said the kidnap came after a dispute between the victim and members of the Hussain family, centred around the victim’s contact with a 17-year-old woman, and it was driven by issues of perceived family honour. The woman was the sister of Shayyan Hussain, towards whom he felt a “misguided sense of familial responsibility”.
In the period leading up to the kidnap, there had been a sustained course of threats and intimidation directed at the victim, where he was told to leave the area “or he would be killed”.
The victim managed to escape after locking his captors out of the car they were transporting him in, then drove to safety, and raised the alarm at a takeaway in Whitchurch.
Honour-Based Abuse in Context
This case is a stark reminder that Honour-Based Abuse can also affect men and boys, as well as women and girls. Because these cases don’t fit people’s stereotypes, male victims can find it even harder to get support. On our helpline, 9% of cases involve a male victim, which highlights the need for professionals to be able to identify Honour-Based Abuse accurately and consistently. There are many misconceptions about Honour-Based Abuse, including who it affects and how it is carried out. Our work is dedicated to challenging and correcting such beliefs to ensure all victims get the support they need. Honour-Based Abuse is a form of abuse that can happen to anyone, regardless of their background.
In some cases, partners, friends or even acquaintances can also become a target for abuse. Discussions of Honour-Based Abuse often focus on a single individual being affected, however, someone who is perceived as unacceptable company can also become a target of violence too.
Often in Honour-Based Abuse, the element of control is disguised as care for the victim. Family members may describe their actions as “protecting” someone, or acting out of duty and responsibility towards them, as the court heard in this case, where one of the men was said to feel a “misguided sense of familial responsibility” towards his sister. Abuse is abuse – no matter who the perpetrator is or how they justify it.
Finally, multiple perpetrators, and the support around them, is common in cases of Honour-Based Abuse, and often missed. In this case, this was not one person acting alone. Judge Trevor Meegan told Shrewsbury Crown Court the kidnap was driven by ‘perceived family honour’ and showed a large amount of planning. Four men were convicted, and cases like this may also involve wider tacit support. These people may not participate in the abuse actively, but may enable or look the other way. This is harder to see, harder to prosecute, and harder to talk about, but it’s often what allows this kind of abuse to escalate to violence of this scale.
Karma Nirvana supports victims and survivors of Honour-Based Abuse, forced marriage, regardless of gender, background, or faith. Our helpline is open Monday to Friday, 9am–5pm, on 0800 5999 247 or at [email protected].