Imam pleads guilty after teens married in mosque

The cleric appeared before magistrates on Thursday

An imam has pleaded guilty after two teenagers were allowed to marry each other in a mosque.

Northamptonshire Police said Ashraf Osmani had been charged under forced marriage legislation after it was alleged he conducted a Nikah wedding ceremony involving two 16-year-olds at Northampton Central Mosque.

Osmani, 52, a Bangladesh-born British national from Northampton, is the serving imam at the mosque.

At Northampton Magistrates' Court on Thursday he pleaded guilty to charges under Section 121 of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act, as amended by the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Act 2022 and will be sentenced on 20 November.

Osmani admitted two counts of carrying out conduct for the purpose of causing a child to enter into marriage.

Under the legislation, introduced in 2023, it is illegal to arrange for under-18s to marry under any circumstances, whether or not force is used.

Those found guilty of the offence face up to seven years in prison.