A 34 year old man has today been sentenced to 16 years imprisonment for what is understood to be the first conviction under the new offence of forced marriage which came into effect in June 2014.
The man, from South Wales, also pleaded guilty to four counts of rape, one count of bigamy and one count of voyeurism. The court heard that the man was particularly 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 in an act of bigamy on his behalf.
Forced marriage was criminalised under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014. This came into force on 16 June 2014.
Iwan Jenkins, Head of CPS Wales Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Unit, said:
“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.
“It is a testament to the strength of the case which we constructed with the police that we secured a guilty plea for the offences in this case.
“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.
“I hope today’s sentence brings some closure for those who have suffered as a result of these particularly nasty and invasive crimes.”
