In the first decision of its kind in England, a ruling by the Birmingham Crown Court has resulted in the conviction and imprisonment of a woman who was involved in the arrangement of a forced marriage between her 17 year old daughter and a 33 year old family relative in Pakistan.
In 2012, during a previous visit to Pakistan, the defendant’s daughter had fallen pregnant at age 13 to the man she would be forced to wed four years later. Upon returning to the UK, she had the pregnancy terminated on the recommendation of her GP. Her doctor then alerted the children’s social services to the situation and the daughter was subsequently placed into a children’s home. She eventually moved into supported accommodation where she saw her mother daily.
Just prior to her 18th birthday, the defendant had deceived her daughter into believing that she was being brought to Pakistan on a holiday, while also promising her a new phone if she travelled. Upon reaching their destination, the mother made known her intentions and threatened to burn her daughter’s passport when she objected. In September 2016, she was coerced into signing marriage papers and a wedding ceremony followed. The defendant later left her daughter in Pakistan and returned to the UK.
Under Part 10 of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, provisions are made regarding the offence of forced marriage. Section 121 of the legislation states that it is illegal to use ‘‘violence, threats or any other form of coercion for the purpose of causing another person to enter into a marriage.’’ It is also a crime to bring someone out of the UK jurisdiction to force them to marry, regardless of whether or not the marriage occurs. Pursuant to this Act, the maximum sentence for forced marriage offences is 7 years.
The defendant was found to be guilty of two counts of forced marriage offences in addition to one count of perjury due to the fact that she lied under oath to a High Court judge, stating that her daughter had not gotten married and was content to remain in Pakistan. Later during the proceedings, she admitted to lying to the court. She was sentenced to four and a half years imprisonment.
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