Cleric charged with conducting marriage ceremony for two children in Northampton

Dear Resident,

You may have seen today, the statement from Northamptonshire Police relating to the charge of Ashraf Osmani under forced marriage legislation with illegally allowing two children to marry each other. A copy of this statement is attached for you below.

I wanted to reach out to the Muslim community as I understand that this news will come as a shock to you and will have an impact on the local community; particularly in the context of other local and national narratives around minority communities. 

Whilst we cannot discuss details of an ongoing case, some of you may be questioning why we have taken the step to publish details around ethnicity/nationality. In August this year, the UK government issued guidance encouraging forces to disclose this information in high-profile and sensitive cases to promote transparency and avoid misinformation.

If you have questions or concerns you want to share with us, I encourage you to reach out to your local neighbourhood officer through the Northamptonshire Talking portal https://www.northamptonshiretalking.co.uk/ .  We value the views of all of our communities and will keep you informed where possible. 

Cleric charged with conducting marriage ceremony for two children in Northampton
 

A Northampton religious leader has today (Wednesday, September 3) been charged  under forced marriage legislation with illegally allowing two children to marry each other.

Ashraf Osmani, aged 52, of Abington Avenue, Northampton, will appear in court charged under Section 121 of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act, as amended by the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Act 2022.

It is alleged Osmani conducted a Nikah marriage ceremony in November 2023, involving two 16-year-old children at the Central Mosque Northampton, where he is the serving Imam, the Mosque's most senior Muslim cleric.

Osmani, a Bangladesh-born British national, will appear before Northampton Magistrates Court on Thursday, September 11.