Abusive husband whose light sentence sparked anger is jailed

LONDON – An abusive British husband who was spared prison by a judge who said his wife was not a vulnerable person has been jailed after new information came to light.

Mustafa Bashir was given a suspended sentence last month at Manchester Crown Court for assaulting his wife, Fakhara Karim. Prosecutors said he beat Karim with a cricket bat and forced her to drink bleach.

Judge Richard Mansell said in sentencing remarks that Karim was “plainly an intelligent woman” and not particularly vulnerable.

The comments and the suspended sentence caused outrage among domestic violence groups.

Another factor in sentencing was a claim Bashir had been offered a professional cricket contract. The judge said Friday that Bashir had produced “not a shred of evidence” to support his claim, and imposed an 18-month prison term.