Judge Condemns Negligence: Imam Guilty of Causing Child Marriage in UK Mosque
- An imam in Northampton was sentenced after conducting an illegal marriage ceremony for two 16-year-olds
- The court heard he had been unaware of a recent law change raising the minimum marriage age to 18
- A suspended prison term was imposed, with the judge describing his actions as negligent but without coercion
An imam who carried out an illegal marriage ceremony for two 16-year-olds was given a suspended prison sentence.
According to BBC, Northampton Crown Court heard that Ashraf Osmani, aged 52, had admitted two charges of causing a child to marry at Northampton Central Mosque in November 2023.
Source: Getty Images
Osmani told the court he was unaware that the law had changed nine months earlier, raising the minimum marriage age in England to 18.
He explained that he believed he was acting within the law when he agreed to perform the Islamic nikah ceremony.
Judge described imam’s actions as negligent
Justice Choudhury imposed a 15-week jail term, suspended for 12 months. He accepted that there had been no "violence or coercion" and that the teenagers had approached Osmani "entirely of their own volition".
However, the judge told Osmani: "Your approach can only be described as negligent. You ought to have known the law had changed."
The court heard that the teenagers, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had first been turned away by another mosque before approaching Osmani.
He agreed to carry out the non-legally binding ceremony and charged £50 for a certificate. After the ceremony, the couple celebrated with friends.
Defence argued mistake in law change
Defence barrister James Gray said Osmani had made one mistake in 20 years of conducting nikah ceremonies. He told the hearing that Osmani had asked for passports to check dates of birth, completed an application form and filled in the mosque register correctly.
Gray added: "All of those things combine to make it quite clear that he was labouring under a mistake as to the change in the law. Had he known of the change in the law he wouldn't have done it."
Osmani left the court without comment, covering his face with his hands and a scarf.
Source: Twitter
Lagosians catch popular Imam, 4 others with human skull
Legit.ng earlier reported that a "popular" chief imam, simply identified as Babalola, was arrested along with four of his men with a human skull and other body parts in the Ikorodu area of Lagos state.
It was gathered that residents of the Adamo area of Ikorodu caught the suspects and handed them to the police. It was gathered that residents of the Adamo area of Ikorodu arrested Babalola and his men and handed them over to the police after they were allegedly nabbed with a human skull and other parts of the human body.
The photo of the imam with the skull alongside one other was posted on the X handle of a user, Uncle DejiTM, @DejiAdesogan, who is known for sharing security-related posts. Lagos police spokesman Hundeying reacts Meanwhile, the spokesperson of the Lagos state police command, Benjamin Hundeyin, has confirmed the arrest of Babalola and others. Hundeyin commended the people of Ikorodu for not engaging in jungle justice and handing the suspects to the police.
Proofreading by Funmilayo Aremu, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
