Charges dropped against mother in beating

Julie Manganis, The Salem News, Beverly, Mass.
·2 min read

Apr. 20—BEVERLY — Prosecutors have dropped charges against a woman who was accused of helping her husband beat their teenage daughter two years ago because they did not approve of her using makeup.

The District Attorney's office filed a notice last week that it is ending prosecution of the charges against Ruqayah Aljumaili, 40.

Aljumaili had been charged with strangulation or suffocation and assault and battery on a family member following the Feb. 14, 2020, incident in the Beverly apartment where the family lived at the time.

Hadi Jabbar, 47, pleaded guilty to similar charges, along with a charge of threatening to commit murder, during a hearing in Salem Superior Court in February. He was sentenced to two years in jail, to be followed by three years on probation.

The case came to light after the girl, 14, failed to show up for school, prompting a teacher to ask police to do a well-being check on her.

Beverly police went to the Bow Street apartment, where, after being separated from her parents, the girl and her sister disclosed what had happened. The girl, who suffered from an anxiety-related condition that caused her to pull out her hair, was trying to hide it by applying makeup so she wouldn't be teased at school. She said her father beat and strangled her, put his thumb in her eye causing it to bleed, and held her over a balcony, threatening to throw her over the edge.

The girl said her mother held her down for part of the incident.

Jabbar had been a lawyer in Iraq but was forced to flee the country as a result of his work, a lawyer told the court last year. The family had resettled in Beverly, where Jabbar was working as an Uber driver before his arrest.

Courts reporter Julie Manganis can be reached at 978-338-2521, by email at jmanganis@salemnews.com or on Twitter at @SNJulieManganis.

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