(ITV) A cleric has appeared in court accused of illegally allowing two children to marry.
Ashraf Osmani, 52, of Abington Avenue, Northampton, spoke only to confirm his name, address and date of birth when he appeared at Northampton Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.
He was charged under forced marriage legislation, according to Northamptonshire Police.
It is alleged that Osmani conducted a nikah marriage ceremony in November 2023, involving two 16-year-old children at the Northampton Central Mosque, where he is the serving imam, the mosque’s most senior Muslim cleric.
