A Northampton Imam who pleaded guilty to carrying out the forced marriage of two children has avoided prison.
Ashraf Osmani, 52, conducted an Islamic “Nikah ceremony” at Northampton’s Central Mosque for two 16-year-olds in November 2023.
The Bangladeshi-born Imam claimed he was “unaware” of changes to the law that restricts marriage to those aged 18 or over.
The Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Act came into effect in February 2023, removing the previous ability for 16 and 17-year-olds to wed with parental consent.
Addressing Osmani, Mr Justice Akhlaq Choudhury said he “ought to have known that the law had changed” and branded his approach as “negligent”.
The judge said: “People look to you for guidance and put their trust in you.
“You were entirely in charge of the marriage process at the mosque and ignorance of the law is no defence.”
Northampton Crown Court heard that the Imam believed he was helping the young couple to have sex without committing sin according to the Islamic faith.
Ashraf Osmani, 52, conducted an Islamic ‘Nikah ceremony’ for two 16-year-olds
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Prosecutor Jennifer Newcomb previously told the court that the 16-year-old girl’s foster parents only discovered that she had been wed when they found a marriage certificate in her bedroom.
Osmani admitted in a voluntary police interview that the girl had informed him that she was in care and that her foster parents were unhappy with her.
Ms Newcomb said: “He did not consider them to be her parents as Islam recognises.
“He was helping them to have marital relations that would be OK in the eyes of God so they did not fornicate and commit sin.
The Bangladeshi-born Imam claimed he was ‘unaware’ of the changes to the law
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Northampton Crown Court heard he believed he was helping the young couple to have sex without committing sin
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PA“It was incumbent on him to follow the law. He was not involved in planning but without him it could not have happened and he was in a position of public responsibility.
“There is obvious harm to the community and the general public in undermining the protection of children. Child marriage is illegal whatever the circumstances.”
James Gray, defending, argued that the two children had “suffered no harm whatsoever” by being granted the marriage.
He described the Imam as “not merely a man of good character, he has spent his life encouraging others to lead decent lives”.
The ceremony was carried out by Osmani at Northampton’s Central Mosque
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Mr Gray urged the court to discharge the offences, arguing: “If his conviction remains he will not be able to carry on doing the good work he has done.”
Mr Justice Choudhury sentenced Osmani, who previously pleaded guilty to two counts of causing a child to enter into marriage, to 15 weeks in custody, suspended for a year.
The judge said that while he accepted that there was no “violence or coercion”, he handed a sentence to the 52-year-old as a “a deterrent to others”.
He told the defendant: “I am sorry it has come to this Mr Osmani. It was a mistake on your part but a serious one.
“You must stay out of trouble for the next year, I’m sure you will, otherwise you will have to serve the 15 weeks imprisonment.”