Former national cricketer Shahadat Hossain and his wife yesterday pleaded not guilty and demanded justice in a case filed over the torture of the couple's 11-year-old domestic help.

The couple made the appeal after Judge Tanjina Ismail of the Fifth Tribunal for Prevention of Women & Children Repression asked them to place their self-defence statements. The court set October 31 as the date for hearing arguments.

Earlier, seven prosecution witnesses, including complainant and the victim of the case, gave their statements before the court during trial. However, while giving her statements on August 25, she sided with the accused and said that Shahadat and his wife Jesmine Jahan Nrittya did not torture her.

On September 6 last year, domestic help Mahfuza Akhtar Happy brought allegations of torture by Shahadat and his wife. 

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) suspended Shahadat on September 13 after the allegation was brought against him.