Imam Who Illegally Wed Teens Aged 16 Handed Sentence in First-of-a-Kind Case
19th January 2026
An imam who signed off on an illegal marriage ceremony involving two teenagers has been sentenced for his part in the crime. Appearing before Northampton Crown Court, Ashraf Osmani pleaded guilty last year to two counts of causing a child to enter into a marriage in November 2023.
The court heard Osmani, who presided over the Islamic Nikah service, agreed to allow the ceremony between two 16-year-olds to take place after learning they had been turned away from another mosque. Osmani, an imam at Northampton’s Central Mosque, claimed he was ignorant of a law change that had come in months before he allowed the youngsters to tie the knot, which hiked the legal minimum requirement of marriage to 18.
The court was told the 52-year-old agreed to marry the couple, who cannot be named for legal reasons, and charged them £50 for a certificate. Following the non-legally binding ceremony, the court heard how the couple celebrated with friends afterwards.