First forced marriage conviction in the UK

A businessman from South Wales has become the first person to be imprisoned in the UK for forced marriage. The law was amended in the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, which came into effect in June 2014, to specifically criminalize forced marriages after nearly 25 years of campaigning.

Businessman had an “irrational obsession” with his victim

Sitting in Merthyr Crown Court, Judge Daniel Williams has delivered what is understood to be the first conviction under the new offence of forced marriage, which came effect in June 2014. The man from South Wales, who cannot be identified, made a 25-year-old woman marry him under duress last year.

The 34-year-old, who was already married, was described in court as having an “irrational obsession” with his victim and had been “preying on her for years”. He had previously set up a fake Facebook account to convince the young woman that her then-boyfriend was gay. He invited her to his home in Cardiff under the promise of a get-together with friends, but when she arrived, she found the property empty, before the curtains were drawn and the front door locked. She was then bound and gagged with scarves, before loud music was played to drown out any cries for help.

The man then “systematically” raped his victim for months. As a devout Muslim, and a virgin when he raped her, the young woman was told that their sexual relations would be revealed to the world should she not marry him. The man allowed his victim to shower, however he had also installed a camera in the shower rail. He then exploited this footage later to further blackmail the young woman, showing it to her on a laptop and threatening to make it public and show her parents, unless she agreed to spend her life with him.

While ensuring that the young woman was left feeling exposed and as though no other man would consider her “marriage material”, the man took further steps to ensure she would comply with his intention to get married. After months of raping her, the court heard how he turned up at her work, before driving them to the mosque to get married. He threatened to kill her parents if she did not submit to his demands.

Sentenced to 16 years imprisonment

Before the victim was due to give her evidence on the second day of the trial, the businessman pleaded guilty. He admitted four counts of rape, forced marriage, bigamy and voyeurism. Describing the individual’s actions, Judge Daniel Williams stated:

“When you first raped her, she was still a virgin – something which you would use to ensure her silence. You made her feel that she was no longer marriage material [for anyone else] in the hope that she would turn to you”.

Judge Williams said that the subsequent attempts by the man to have the case thrown, out by changing his plea several times through the course of proceedings, was a further “exercise of control” over the woman, in the hope she would drop the case.

He described the man as a high risk to women, stating:

“While you have pleaded guilty … there has been no genuine show of remorse. “Over the period of which you raped her … it was your intention to cause her irreparable harm so that no one would want her.”

The man was sentenced to 16 years imprisonment and given an extended licence for five years on top of his jail sentence. He will remain on the sex offender register for “indefinite period”.

The victim was praised for her bravery in coming forward, with Judge Williams saying “she has continued to show courage and fortitude … and the court wishes her good fortune for the future – which she so richly deserves”. Campaigners have commended her actions, describing the case as a legal milestone.

The law was changed in 2014 in the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act, to make forced marriage a specific criminal offence, after nearly a quarter of a century of campaigning. Jasvinder Sanghera, who helped persuade the government to change the law, said she hoped the first conviction would send a powerful message to victims but also help stop social workers “tiptoeing” around the issue for fear of being accused of racism. She said:

“For 23 years we have been fighting to make people aware of this.

It may seem like a small victory but it is huge. It says if you decide to pursue a conviction you will be supported.”

Contact our domestic violence solicitors for advice

If you have concerns about a forced marriage and would like to talk to someone in confidence please contact our childcare and domestic solicitors on 01895 207857 or email us at childcare@ibblaw.co.uk