A rich landlady who kept a woman as a slave and beat, kicked, and verbally harassed her while she cooked, cleaned, and took care of her family is now facing prison time.
For long years, Farzana Kausar, 58, who Lewes Crown Court previously heard controlled practically everything Jacqueline Whittington, 60, did, was obliged to employ her as a domestic helper.
Mrs. Whittington was required to care for three small children while also doing home duties; however, she was not paid.
The court previously heard that Kausar had even withheld Mrs. Whittington’s welfare money, making her “weak.”
The landlady, who owned a number of expensive residences in Brighton and London, became more aggressive and repressive, often exploding into a rage.
Kausar slammed a vehicle door on Mrs. Whittington’s ankle, breaking it.
She reportedly assaulted the mother of four while ripping off her necklace and slamming her glasses into her face, creating a laceration.
When Mrs. Whittington was in the midst of an appointment, the property owner barged her way into the doctor’s office.
Yesterday afternoon, Kausar, who was accused of holding another woman in slavery or service, was pronounced guilty.
After a trial that lasted over three weeks at Lewes Crown Court, she was also convicted guilty of tampering with the process of justice.
The family’s nanny, Michelle Ormiston, who had been employed by Kausar’s family, raised the alarm.
She informed social services and the police after seeing the live-in aide being treated in a “shocking” manner.
Farzana Kausar, of Hove, East Sussex, was charged with keeping a person in slavery or servitude between August 2015 and May 2019 when she appeared before Lewes Crown Court on September 26.
She was also accused of trying to influence Mrs. Whittington to drop her claims in an effort to taint the course of justice.
The jury was previously informed that Mrs. Whittington was weak and had a history of alcoholism.
She first encountered the defendant when she leased a property from the family in the 1990s after leaving her husband and four children.
She started off doing decorative work for Kausar’s family before relocating and taking on live-in domestic duties while residing at various locations in London and Brighton.
The court determined that Mrs. Whittington lacked an employment contract and that, despite Kausar’s assurances that she would be paid for her labor, the mother-of-four never received a salary.
Even though Mrs. Whittington often purchased booze and smokes, her benefits were also used.
At a previous hearing, prosecutor Ryan Richter stated: “Mrs. Kausar seized ownership of her benefit book and withdrew her ability to receive money.”
Mrs. Kausar made a payment guarantee, but she never followed through.
She signed her benefit book after receiving it, but she never handed her the cash.
He said the putative victim was subjected to “control, assault, and verbal abuse” for many years.
He said that Mrs. Kausar hurled a recycling box at her after she left some cooked meat out in the kitchen, which sparked the altercation.
Mrs. Whittington would accompany the family on vacations when they travelled overseas to serve as their housekeeper.
She informed the cops. As he exerted more and more control over her, Kausar sought to cut her off from all connections and friends.
Despite the fact that her kids used to visit her, they couldn’t when she moved to London since they didn’t know where she was.
Mrs. Whittington admitted to having a cellphone, but said the defendant often took it away.
And she didn’t find out her mother had passed away until after the funeral had already been held.
Mrs. Kausar would warn her she wouldn’t survive one minute if she went out on her own and told her: “At least with me you have a roof over your head,” Mr. Richter said to the court.
In 2019, police detained Kausar in the family’s opulent Hove apartment.
She is now being held in detention as she awaits her November 10 sentence.