Sharjah: A young mother who was beaten up by her husband in front of police officials has ended up at Al Amal psychiatric hospital, Gulf News has learnt.

A Syrian mother of two who has been living in the UAE for the past few years was beaten up by her husband in front of police officials at Al Gharb police station in Sharjah last week.

According to a witness, the woman while being beaten up by her husband at the police station managed to escape to the mosque at the police station where she locked herself.

The witness said the husband, also a Syrian, beat his young wife on her head several times using her handbag.

"The only thing police did at that time was to take the woman's passport from her bag and handed it to her husband," the witness said.

No food and shelter

The woman later left the mosque and roamed the streets without food or shelter. A passerby helped the woman, suffering from a nervous breakdown, to Al Kuwait hospital.

The victim's lawyer said the woman was taken care of for a few days by Al Kuwait hospital. "I am following up her divorce case," the lawyer said.

He said police did not help the woman, they even refused to question the husband," he said.

A senior official from Sharjah police said the issue is being investigated. "Al Gharb police station will investigate the claims that the woman was not helped over there," he said.

The woman told Gulf News from her bed in Al Kuwait Hospital that her husband used to beat her regularly. "We have a divorce case at Sharjah court," the woman said.

"I have a valid residency visa in the UAE which will expire only in 2012. I went to Syria and I came back last month," she said. Her children are with her family in Syria.

An official at Al Kuwaiti hospital said the woman's health deteriorated and she needs psychological support.

"The woman was admitted to Al Amal Psychiatric hospital in Dubai last week," the official said.

According to doctors at Al Amal hospital, the woman is suffering from a nervous breakdown and has been on medication for quite sometime.

"She needs to be with her family. She needs to be taken care of by her family members," the doctor said.

"We were able to contact her sister who lives in the UAE. The sister came once to see her," the doctor said.

The husband was summoned by Dubai General Department for Residency and Foreigners Affairs.