Man builds 30-foot wall around wife

A Leicestershire man faces legal action by his local council after he constructed a 30-foot wall around his Iranian wife.

Mohammed Fatwa, 36, claims to have built the enclosure around his spouse out of respect for her strict Muslim beliefs. "She only came to this country recently," explained Mr Fatwa. "She spent the first three weeks locked in the cupboard under the stairs because she was so terrified of another man's gaze compromising her modesty."

Fatwa's solution to his wife's predicament was to build a six-foot square, 30-foot high brick enclosure in the back garden, then put her in it. He has also added a corrugated iron roof to prevent passengers on passing airliners inadvertently catching sight of her. Reports that the tower is lead lined to eliminate the possibility of accidental x-ray imaging of his wife are unconfirmed.

Fatwa has described his wife as "delighted" with the structure, although local planning officers are less than impressed. They have given him 14 days to reduce the height by 20 feet and install a toilet. A spokesman for the planning department said: "We understand that people from other cultures may have different planning beliefs, but rules is rules."

Lawyers acting on Mr Fatwa's behalf do, however, believe that they have found a solution. "Were Mr Fatwa to convert the tower into a minaret and install a muezzin, he could register his house as a mosque," said a representative of solicitors Paycheck and Malarkey. "A quick endorsement by Prince Charles and bingo - stuff the planning regulations. The only impediment is that Mr Fatwa now has only two weeks to find a blind muezzin in rural Leicestershire. He is naturally concerned that a sighted holy man might not be able to resist having a quick shufti at his missus."