Family left woman lying unconscious for days before calling 999, trial hears

A woman's family left her lying unconscious for up to three days before they called for an ambulance, a court has heard.

Ambreen Fatima Sheikh has been in a 'vegetative' state since she fell unconscious in July 2015, Yorkshire Live reports. She had suffered a severe burn to her lower back and had ingested anti-diabetic medication.

In the weeks before, she had been left 'vulnerable' after 'not meeting expectations' in her arranged marriage, prosecutors said. Her husband, Asgar Sheikh, 30, father-in-law Khalid Sheikh, 55, mother-in-law Shabnam Sheikh, 53, and brother and sister-in-law Shakalayne, 24, and Shagufa Sheikh, 29, are all standing trial charged with causing or allowing a vulnerable adult to suffer serious physical harm.

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Shagufa, Shabnam and Asgar Sheikh are also accused of doing an act intending to pervert the course of justice. All five defendants are accused of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

They deny all of the offences. On Tuesday, as he opened the trial at Leeds Crown Court, Robert Steen Smith told the court Ambreen - who was then in her 30s - arrived in the UK from Pakistan in 2014 after entering an arranged marriage with Asgar.

She moved into the family home - where she lived with all five defendants - in Clara Street, Huddersfield. Mr Smith said to the jury: "At first the marriage appears to be one without any apparent problems.

"The evidence you're going to hear establishes that within months of her arrival she wasn't meeting the expectations of