Members of a Watford family have pleaded guilty to assaulting their daughter’s boyfriend, who was kidnapped from Watford Junction, stabbed and “beaten like a tennis ball”.

Parents Rubina, 45, and Khalid Chaudry, 52, of Albert Road North, pleaded guilty to actual bodily harm and their son, Hamzah, 26, also of Albert Road North, pleaded guilty to kidnapping Qasim Ahmed – the boyfriend of Aqsa Chaudry.

Arfan Hussain Shah, 38, of Paddock Close, Oxhey, a friend of Hamzah’s, was found guilty of kidnap after a two-week trial at St Albans Crown Court, the Watford Observer can now reveal after overturning a court order banning publication of the case.

A fourth man, Yaser Ahmed, 31, of Charlock Way, Watford, also admitted assault causing actual bodily harm.

Mr Ahmed, 21, was kidnapped from Watford Junction station on Wednesday, May 14, after spending the day with Aqsa. The court heard the Chaudrys had found out about their daughter’s relationship with Qasim in January, after she had run away to stay with him.

The family had then travelled up to meet the Ahmed family in Accrington to discuss marriage, a gesture which was not reciprocated, causing a breakdown in the relationship between the two families.

On grabbing Qasim at the ticket barrier, the court was told Hamzah said: “You’re not getting out of Watford, you’re coming with me.

“This is my town, I know everyone. There’s not a chance you’re going to get out.”

Qasim was then “forcibly” taken to Hamzah’s taxi office, United Taxis, where he was assaulted and threatened with a machete.

Shah, who has two previous convictions for kidnap, was later called to the office along with Yaser Ahmed and at 8.28pm, after 17 minutes in the office, the four men got into a black Vauxhall Astra and drove up the M1.

The court heard the journey “took a turn for the worse” when Hamzah, who was driving, was told his sister was stored in Qasim’s phone as “A Virgin”.

The car came to a standstill off the M1 at Junction 15 – where he was “beaten like a tennis ball” and stabbed twice in the left buttock.

Speaking behind a screen, Qasim told the court: “I didn’t get in the car willingly. I thought they were going to take me somewhere, kill me and dump my body.

“I tried to get out, but the door was locked. I was then sat on by Shah and punched.

“He told me to take my pants off because he was going to chop my penis off.

“He also told me to open my mouth and put a knife on my tongue and tried to cut it but it was a blunt knife.”

Qasim told the court he managed to break free and ran for his life, only stopping after two miles when he reached a secluded house just before midnight.

Jurors heard the transcript of a 999 call from Kevin Poole at 11.50pm that night, whose house Qasim had ran to.

He said Qasim told him: “I’ve been beaten, they are trying to murder me.”

Police, who later found the black Vauxhall Astra car burnt out, described the terrain Qasim ran through as “unforgiving”.

Prosecuting, Ann Evans said: “Aqsa fell in love with Qasim. Although both these young people are Muslim, Aqsa’s family strongly disapproved of the relationship.

“The Chaudry family decided to take action and Qasim was forcibly taken by Hamzah into the taxi office at Watford Junction where he was assaulted by both Hamzah and Hamzah’s father.

“The young man was then put in a car parked outside the office, the rear doors were locked, and Hamzah was accompanied by two other men – Yaser Ahmed and Arfan Shah, who was sitting in the rear of the car with Qasim.

“Arfan Shah, together with Hamzah, held Qasim in the car against his will. Arfan then stabbed him in the buttocks twice before Qasim was able to make a move to escape.”

Defending, Sebastian Gardiner said the victim’s evidence had been exaggerated and the plan had been to drive him home to Accrington.

He said: “En route Hamzah lost the plot, abandoned that plan and decided to give Qasim Ahmed a beating before leaving him in the middle of nowhere.

“The Chaudrys are a Muslim family with a long established approach to issues such as courting and marriage.

“Aqsa was the only daughter of the family and she conducted a relationship in secret without the knowledge of her father and her mother.”

The Chaudrys, Shah and Ahmed will be sentenced by Judge Stephen Warner on January 9, 2015.