An Orthodox Jewish woman says she has been refused a get from her husband, a convicted paedophile who sexually assaulted her daughters.
The man was sentenced last month for abusing the girls, his step-daughters, from the ages of nine and 12.
The woman, who cannot be name for legal reasons, said she had filed for a get— a religious divorce — but the deadline had passed without a response from her husband.
She said: “He tells people he still loves me. He wants his name cleared, that’s the word we hear on the grapevine. But of course he’s dirtying his name even more by being controlling.”
The man’s lack of respect for women and lack of remorse over the sexual abuse was noted by the judge during the case.
“If he showed remorse, he would have given the get already. I’m a possession to him,” his wife said.
Her daughters remained badly affected by the abuse, and she feared they would suffer further if the get was not granted.
“My younger girl won’t let me hug her. She has become very introverted. My elder daughter has become a bully. It’s the anger and the pain. She was forced to do things she didn’t want to do,” the woman said.
She has successfully applied for a court order, preventing her husband from coming near her home or workplace.
The woman said she feels let down by her community in north-west London. “The rabbis are shutting their doors,” she said. “Even with a guilty verdict and a sentence, they cannot accept that a religious person could do such a thing. It’s a sick world.
“I would like to see a bit more support. I’ve had no phone calls. I’d just like acknowledgement. I’ve become the criminal, but I haven’t done anything wrong. I feel as if my closest friends have stabbed me in the back.”
The husband declined to comment.