Forced marriage fear of Preston girl flown to Pakistan
A teenage girl missing since she flew to Pakistan with her younger sisters may have been forced to marry, a High Court judge has heard.
Alyssa Din, 16, and her sisters Safia, five, and Amani, four - all from Preston - have been missing since flying to Karachi via Islamabad in October.
Their parents Ilyas and Mazeley Din were jailed over their disappearance.
Mr Justice Hayden said he was extremely concerned about Alyssa's welfare.
'Brainwashed the children'
Mr and Mrs Din were jailed in December for contempt of court for failing to provide details of their children's whereabouts.
Mr Din, who is in his late 40s, was given a 12-month term and Mrs Din, who is in her 30s, a six-month sentence.
Lawyers representing Lancashire County Council told a hearing in the Family Division of the High Court in London that a relative had raised concerns Alyssa was forced to marry on her 16th birthday and said police were investigating it.
The judge, who described Mr Din as "manipulative", said: "I profoundly hope that this girl has not been married off against her will."
Mr Din said the children were with his sister in Pakistan and that she had "brainwashed the children".
He told the judge: "I just said to her 'just look after my children because I don't want them going into care.'
"It is not my fault that the children have not come back yet," he added.
The judge described the children's father as "manipulative" and said he remained convinced it was within his power to ensure the children were returned to England.
At a previous hearing in the same court in January, Mr Justice Hayden criticised the girls' parents and described their ordeal as "alarming" and "brutal".