[bbfan1991]

The Muslim parents of a disabled girl who went to court to win the right to shave her pubic hair have cost the taxpayer £350,000, it has emerged.

The couple, who like their daughter cannot be named for legal reasons, wanted to control their daughter’s public hair levels in order to follow Islamic tradition.

The woman’s mental capacity to consent to the action, however, was queried by her local council, which has been looking after her since 2008, reported the Daily Telegraph.

This, in addition to the parents’ other request that the girl be returned to them, led to the legal bill.

The case regarding the disabled woman – who is now in her 30s – began in 2011, though her parents have now dropped all proceedings.

‘I thus remain utterly baffled by the course this litigation has taken, and perplexed by this lack of clarity in their case,’ said Mr Justice Roderic Wood, presiding over the case.

‘Obtaining a ten-day slot of a High Court judge’s time is not easy, for there are many competing cases of equal if not greater urgency than this one.’

He added: ‘This is an astonishing sum of money.’