Former Nelson man pleads guilty to controlling and coercive behaviour in court

The wife realised she had made an awful mistake when her new husband began to control her every move and accused her of being “too British.”

Mohsin-Ali Chaudhry stopped her from going to the gym, told her she should wear a headscarf, banned her from wearing jeans and made her clean the house and do all the cooking. He asked her to leave her dream job as a schoolteacher, isolated her from her family and friends and demanded: “I am your husband and you need to obey me.”

Chaudhry (25) from Nelson, pleaded guilty to controlling and coercive behaviour and strangulation when he appeared before a judge for sentence. The part-time Uber driver was spared an immediate prison term when Recorder Anna Price gave him an 18-month sentence suspended for 18 months. She decided he did not present a significant risk to anyone. But she issued a restraining order banning him from making any contact with his ex-wife for the next 10 years.

The city’s Crown Court was told the couple, who were second cousins, were betrothed in a marriage arranged by their families. The woman had known her husband-to-be for all her life and both were happy to go ahead with the wedding. They were engaged in 2024 and then went through an Islamic ceremony in July, 2024, although they continued to live apart. In April, 2025, they went through a public celebration under Islamic rules and then moved in together in Nelson.

Prosecution lawyer David Lees said she first noticed problems even before they married, becoming concerned by Chaudhry’s angry outbursts. In February, 2024, while she was still living at her family home, she reported she had been to the gym one day and Chaudhry started swearing and slamming his hand on her knee. He then stormed out slamming the door. He said she should wear a headscarf and couldn’t wear jeans which showed her knees and ankles. When they finally got together he instructed her to clean the house and would make her do it again if he wasn’t satisfied. She did all the cooking.

He stopped her going to the gym and also speaking to her friends on social media. She said she only saw her best friend once in the time the couple were married. “He controlled her movements,” said lawyer David Lees, prosecuting. “She felt trapped. He would get angry in a bad way.”

Just five days after their wedding the couple were in a supermarket when Chaudhry starting shouting at her. Later that day she was in the bedroom when he slapped her. He told her: “I am your husband and you need to obey me.” But he then apologised and told her it would never happen again. She believed him, but it soon happened again.

The next time he slapped her he sat on her on the floor and put his hand on her neck. But he blamed her saying it was her fault for not doing what she should do as a wife.

By July she had had enough and fled to Spain where she had family to get away from him. But he followed her out there and wouldn’t let her return. She wasn’t allowed to go out without a relative present and Chaudhry told her if she went to the police they wouldn’t do anything about it. Eventually she returned to the UK, but was constantly scared. By October she had finally reported matters to the police.

In a victim impact statement she told the court she had entered the marriage “with hope and optimism.” But soon she was suffering from anxiety and terror and was constantly on edge. She said he had stopped her from seeing her family and had told her to leave her job even though she had worked hard to get to that position. She worked full-time and he worked part-time.

She felt isolated and she felt she could see no way out of it. On occasions she had been frightened for her life. As a result of speaking out about her situation her father’s side of the family refused to speak to her.

Applying for a restraining order, she urged the judge to ban Chaudhry from entering the town of Nelson where she and her family lived. She said that would have made her feel safer. But the judge ruled that out saying it would be too strict considering Chaudhry’s family also lived there, even though he was now living at an address in Old Trafford, Manchester.

Defence barrister Madeleine de Ferrer said that her client’s behaviour could be a reflection of how immature he was. He was married at just 23 and it had been an arranged marriage. She said: “He felt pressure in this relationship. He entered this at a very young age and was in over his head.”

She urged the judge to suspend any prison sentence saying he had no previous convictions and had never been before a court before.

Chaudhry, who sat with his head bowed throughout the hearing, was told by Recorder Price: “The victim was your partner. You had known each other all your life. In February 2024 you were engaged, it was an arranged marriage. It seems that initially you were both happy with the arrangement, but problems then occurred.

The judge said the wife had described her engagement and marriage as the “darkest chapter in her life”. She said she felt constantly judged.

“You told her to leave her job, something she had studied for and worked hard for. She was proud of her job and what she had achieved.

“She thought there would be no way out and thought she would continue to suffer until the day she died.”

In addition to the 18-month prison sentence suspended for 18 months, the judge also ordered Chaudhry to complete 20 rehabilitation activity days and 200 days of unpaid work.