UK Wedding News
10/06/2015
A man from Cardiff has been jailed for 16 years after he admitted to making a 25-year-old woman marry him under duress.
The 34-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is the first person in the UK to be prosecuted under forced marriage laws which were introduced last year. During his trial at Merthyr Crown Court, the man also pleaded guilty to four counts of rape, one charge of bigamy and one count of voyeurism.
The court had heard how the man was "possessive" and "controlling" of his victim during the time they knew one another. Between March and September 2014, he repeatedly raped and threatened his victim before forcing her to marry him against her will. The man had threatened to reveal videos he had secretly filmed of the woman in the shower and kill members of her family if she told anyone.
The accused pleaded guilty on the second day of his trial. He was sentenced to four years for the forced marriage, 12 months for bigamy and 12 months for voyeurism to run concurrently with the 16-year rape sentence.
Detective Superintendent Lian Penhale, South Wales Police, said: "We welcome today's sentencing in what has been an extremely traumatic experience for the victim and recognise the courage and strength it took to come forward and report this matter to the police.
"From the outset this complex case was a legal milestone in Wales and the UK and a benchmark to what can be achieved. I hope that today's sentencing will act as a catalyst to empower victims and those at risk to come forward and enable the police and our partners to give them the support they need to ensure they're free from this criminal activity – and to bring the offenders to justice."
Iwan Jenkins, Head of CPS Wales Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Unit, added: "Forced marriage wrecks lives and destroys families. We hope that today's sentence sends a strong message that forced marriage will not be tolerated in today's Britain.
"The victim has shown great courage and bravery in reporting these matters. This conviction illustrates the seriousness in which these crimes are treated and investigated by the Crown Prosecution Service and South Wales Police."
(JP/MH)
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Cardiff Man Jailed Over Forced Marriage
A man from Cardiff has been jailed for 16 years after he admitted to making a 25-year-old woman marry him under duress.
The 34-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is the first person in the UK to be prosecuted under forced marriage laws which were introduced last year. During his trial at Merthyr Crown Court, the man also pleaded guilty to four counts of rape, one charge of bigamy and one count of voyeurism.
The court had heard how the man was "possessive" and "controlling" of his victim during the time they knew one another. Between March and September 2014, he repeatedly raped and threatened his victim before forcing her to marry him against her will. The man had threatened to reveal videos he had secretly filmed of the woman in the shower and kill members of her family if she told anyone.
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The accused pleaded guilty on the second day of his trial. He was sentenced to four years for the forced marriage, 12 months for bigamy and 12 months for voyeurism to run concurrently with the 16-year rape sentence.
Detective Superintendent Lian Penhale, South Wales Police, said: "We welcome today's sentencing in what has been an extremely traumatic experience for the victim and recognise the courage and strength it took to come forward and report this matter to the police.
"From the outset this complex case was a legal milestone in Wales and the UK and a benchmark to what can be achieved. I hope that today's sentencing will act as a catalyst to empower victims and those at risk to come forward and enable the police and our partners to give them the support they need to ensure they're free from this criminal activity – and to bring the offenders to justice."
Iwan Jenkins, Head of CPS Wales Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Unit, added: "Forced marriage wrecks lives and destroys families. We hope that today's sentence sends a strong message that forced marriage will not be tolerated in today's Britain.
"The victim has shown great courage and bravery in reporting these matters. This conviction illustrates the seriousness in which these crimes are treated and investigated by the Crown Prosecution Service and South Wales Police."
(JP/MH)
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