Overview
- Ashraf Osmani, 52, pleaded guilty to two counts of causing a child to enter into marriage after conducting a nikah for two 16-year-olds at Northampton Central Mosque.
- Northampton Crown Court imposed 15 weeks’ imprisonment, suspended for one year, after the judge said Osmani ought to have known the law had changed.
- The CPS described the case as the first under legislation making all marriages under 18 illegal in England and Wales since it took effect in February 2023.
- Sentencing remarks noted there was no coercion and the teenagers were in a consensual relationship, but prosecutors stressed the law protects minors regardless of apparent consent.
- The case surfaced when the girl’s foster parents found a marriage certificate, with court evidence detailing a £50 fee, mosque witnesses, and post-ceremony photos shared on social media.