Overview
- Ashraf Osmani, 52, pleaded guilty to two counts of causing a child to enter into a marriage after conducting a nikah for two 16-year-olds at Northampton Central Mosque in November 2023.
- Northampton Crown Court imposed 15 weeks’ imprisonment suspended for one year, with a victim surcharge and court costs ordered.
- Judge Mr Justice Akhlaq Choudhury described Osmani’s conduct as negligent and said ignorance of the law was no defence.
- The CPS confirmed it as the first case brought under the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Act 2022 and noted there was no evidence of coercion.
- The case surfaced when the girl’s foster parents found a marriage certificate and notified authorities, and reporting restrictions protect the teenagers’ identities.