(WA Today) A Victorian woman accused of forcefully marrying off her daughter to a stranger in Western Australia who later murdered the young bride has pleaded not guilty to coercing her daughter into the marriage.
Sakina Muhammad Jan, 45, will appear at Melbourne’s County Court on January 19, almost a year to the day since her daughter Ruqia Haidari was murdered by her husband in their Perth home.
If she is convicted, Ms Jan would become the first person in Australia to be found guilty of the crime for which she stands accused.
Police claim Ms Jan coerced Ms Haidari to marry Uber driver and abattoir worker Mohammad Ali Halimi in exchange for a $15,000 dowry in Victoria in November 2019. Ms Haidari was murdered by Halimi at their Perth home two months later.
