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Muslim woman made to remove veil
Banned...a woman in veil. Image source: Alamo
A Muslim woman was made to take off her veil to give evidence in a UK court. Georgina Richards, 36, refused at first but finally agreed after JPs (judicial officials) said they had to be able to see her face - in order to accept her testimony. The case was delayed for an hour while magistrates allowed her to speak from behind a screen, where only the male chairman of the bench and two female JPs could see her.
Pregnant Richards, from Leicester, had told the court her religion forbids her to remove her veil in front of men in public. She was giving evidence against her violent ex Ismail Mangera, 30. At the city's magistrates' court chairman Lawrence Faulkner told her: "We need to see a person's facial expressions to assess the evidence they are giving. "If you refuse to remove your veil we may not be able to accept your evidence." After Thursday's hearing Richards said she wasn't happy with the decision.
She said: "They wanted to see my face but I don't think it really matters. I think I could have done it with my veil on." Richards - who has three kids with Mangera and is expecting their fourth - told the court he punched her in the mouth and knocked a tooth out in April. Prosecutor Sally Cook said he scratched the word "bitch" on Miss Richards' front door while on bail. Mangera, of Leicester, denied assault and criminal damage but was found guilty. He will be sentenced later and was warned he faces jail.
Source: Daily Mail, UK
