An imam has pleaded guilty to illegally allowing two children to marry each other at a mosque, police said.
Northamptonshire Police said Ashraf Osmani, 52, of Abington Avenue, Northampton, conducted an Islamic marriage ceremony, also known as a nikkah, in November 2023 involving two 16-year-old children at the city’s Central Mosque, where he is the serving imam.
Police said he pleaded guilty at Northampton Magistrates’ Court on Thursday to a charge under Section 121 of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act, which means a person has caused a child to get married before they turn 18.
The Bangladesh-born British national was bailed to appear at Northampton Crown Court on November 20 for sentencing, police said.
