Nottingham couple took underage sons abroad for marriage

A couple from Nottingham received suspended prison sentences after they took their underage teenage sons to Pakistan to facilitate marriages for them. The parents, who remain unnamed due to legal restrictions, transported their sons abroad in early 2023 with the intention of arranging marriages, as was revealed during proceedings at Nottingham Crown Court on Friday.

Initially, the plan involved one of the brothers marrying a bride from Pakistan. However, when the first son expressed dislike for the bride, the marriage proceeded with the other brother instead. Both parents pleaded guilty to the offense of causing a child under 18 to enter into a marriage, and as a result, each was sentenced to two months imprisonment, suspended for a period of twelve months.

The court learned that the husband and wife, aged in their 50s and 40s respectively, were unaware that recent changes in the law had made it a criminal offence to cause a child under 18 to marry, regardless of coercion. Importantly, the legislation covers religious or traditional ceremonies that might not be legally recognized in England and Wales, even if they occur overseas. The Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Act 2022, which came into effect on 27 February 2023, abolished the previous allowance for 16 and 17-year-olds to marry with parental consent.

Authorities became involved after a place of education raised concerns to the police, leading to the couple’s arrest in June 2023. Investigations confirmed that the family had traveled to Pakistan in April 2023 expressly to find marriage partners for the sons. Although initially denying the purpose and claiming it was a family holiday, evidence including messages and photographs from the parents’ phones contradicted their statements.

Notably, a message from the father, sent in February 2023 before the trip, indicated he was searching for a “rishta” — a marriage proposal — for both sons. When questioned about whether this was their intention, he affirmed, stating, “Yes brother, my sons don’t want to mess around. Not stuck in the Western world.” The mother’s messages later showed attempts to persuade one son to accept the bride, ultimately leading to the bride marrying the other son in a Nikkah ceremony, a religious matrimonial event. Although the marriage was planned for the bride to relocate to the UK, she currently resides in Pakistan; the court explained that the Nikkah, while valid under Islamic and Pakistani law, lacks legal recognition in the UK unless conducted on registered premises.

In sentencing, Judge James Sampson acknowledged there was no evidence of coercion, threats, or violence and described the parents’ conduct as stemming from “misguided cultural beliefs, rather than malice.” With no prior convictions and no ongoing safeguarding issues, the couple was nevertheless found responsible for failing to protect their children’s best interests. The judge stressed that, despite these mitigating factors, “there has to be a custodial sentence” because of the public’s strong opposition to child marriage.

The judge also remarked on the situation of the bride, who, despite being 18, was treated as a commodity after rejection by one brother and then married to the other, comparing her to “a piece of chattel, in other words, a piece of property.” Although the couple did not serve prison time immediately, they were ordered to complete 100 hours of community service each.

Following the sentencing, Crown Prosecution Service representative Emma Cornell emphasized the protective intent of child marriage laws: “Child marriage laws are in place to protect children from the harm done by entering a lifelong commitment at such an early age. These defendants disregarded that protection by taking the boys to Pakistan to be married. The law applies wherever the offending takes place and, on their return, these two defendants were rightly held to account.”

Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More