LONDON - A gambling addict of South Asian origin who lost his life savings in London's casinos has sold his 15-year-old daughter for $47,500 to pay off his debts.
Police here confirmed they were carrying out investigations after the girl contacted them, tearfully pleading for their help so that her father's contract to sell her into marriage might be reversed.
The teenager said she had been sold to an older man who was a friend of the family.
Reports said the plan was for her to be sent to her husband-to-be, who lives in Bangladesh.
At a later stage, the husband would then apply for British citizenship.
The case came to light after Labour MP Ann Cryer called for the amendment of existing laws which would prevent such sales of people.
The girl's father is said to be in his 40s and originally from Bangladesh, although he now holds British citizenship.
Police say the father cannot be named because it was unclear whether he had committed a criminal offence under British law.
In Britain, it is not a crime for a mother or father to accept money for a daughter or son's hand in marriage.
The gambling addict dad has already been questioned by detectives and has admitted to having lost all of his savings and more while betting, mostly on roulette and card games, in casinos.
He said that in the beginning, he had won - and that dreams of making easy money at the tables made him return to the casinos night after night.
But regular losses resulted in all his savings disappearing and he had to borrow heavily in a bid to recoup his losses.
However, he squandered all the borrowed money as well.
The gambler admitted that he had sold his daughter to a friend from Bangladesh who was in his late 30s.
The father told the police that under the marriage contract, he would receive $47,500 - money which he had intended to use to pay off his gambling debts.
Mrs Cryer, who is helping the girl, described the case as 'scandalous'.
The girl was hoping to be placed in the care of government social service workers, and allowed to finish her O-level school examinations.
A spokesman for Gamblers' Anonymous in Britain told The Straits Times that this was the first case the support group had come across in which a father had signed a contract to sell his daughter.
'We know of addicts who have gone to extraordinary lengths to get money to pay off debts or to keep on gambling,' he said.
'It illustrates how addiction can lead to family misery.'
But a senior manager at London's Napoleon Casino, where more than 80 per cent of the gamblers are from Bangladesh or other parts of Asia, said: 'Most gamblers control themselves.'
Defending gambling, he said: 'We maintain that people have a right to gamble if they wish to.'
StraightTimes.com
Police here confirmed they were carrying out investigations after the girl contacted them, tearfully pleading for their help so that her father's contract to sell her into marriage might be reversed.
The teenager said she had been sold to an older man who was a friend of the family.
Reports said the plan was for her to be sent to her husband-to-be, who lives in Bangladesh.
At a later stage, the husband would then apply for British citizenship.
The case came to light after Labour MP Ann Cryer called for the amendment of existing laws which would prevent such sales of people.
The girl's father is said to be in his 40s and originally from Bangladesh, although he now holds British citizenship.
Police say the father cannot be named because it was unclear whether he had committed a criminal offence under British law.
In Britain, it is not a crime for a mother or father to accept money for a daughter or son's hand in marriage.
The gambling addict dad has already been questioned by detectives and has admitted to having lost all of his savings and more while betting, mostly on roulette and card games, in casinos.
He said that in the beginning, he had won - and that dreams of making easy money at the tables made him return to the casinos night after night.
But regular losses resulted in all his savings disappearing and he had to borrow heavily in a bid to recoup his losses.
However, he squandered all the borrowed money as well.
The gambler admitted that he had sold his daughter to a friend from Bangladesh who was in his late 30s.
The father told the police that under the marriage contract, he would receive $47,500 - money which he had intended to use to pay off his gambling debts.
Mrs Cryer, who is helping the girl, described the case as 'scandalous'.
The girl was hoping to be placed in the care of government social service workers, and allowed to finish her O-level school examinations.
A spokesman for Gamblers' Anonymous in Britain told The Straits Times that this was the first case the support group had come across in which a father had signed a contract to sell his daughter.
'We know of addicts who have gone to extraordinary lengths to get money to pay off debts or to keep on gambling,' he said.
'It illustrates how addiction can lead to family misery.'
But a senior manager at London's Napoleon Casino, where more than 80 per cent of the gamblers are from Bangladesh or other parts of Asia, said: 'Most gamblers control themselves.'
Defending gambling, he said: 'We maintain that people have a right to gamble if they wish to.'
StraightTimes.com
