World Press Freedom Day

Crewe Forced Marriage Investigation

ENGLAND · POLICE INVESTIGATION · UPDATED AUGUST 2026

Safeguarding before a verdict.

Cheshire Police are investigating allegations including forced marriage, sexual offences and trafficking. Arrests and protective orders do not establish criminal guilt. Here is what the police have confirmed, and what safeguarding professionals can learn.

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The Crewe forced marriage investigation matters because it shows why safeguarding professionals must name forced marriage as abuse, not honour, culture or faith. Cheshire Police say they arrested nine people after reports of serious sexual offences, forced marriage and modern slavery involving members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light in Crewe. The allegations remain under police investigation, so readers must not treat them as proven facts. However, one safeguarding message is already clear: no one should disguise coercion as custom.

What happened in the Crewe forced marriage investigation?

Cheshire Police say officers began investigating after they received allegations in March 2026. According to the force, the alleged offences took place in 2023 and involved one woman who belonged to the group at the time.

On 29 April 2026, officers carried out three warrants in Crewe. The searches took place at Webb House and residential properties on Nantwich Road and Badger Avenue. More than 500 officers from Cheshire Police and neighbouring forces took part in the operation.

Police say they arrested six men and three women on suspicion of offences including rape, sexual assault, human trafficking, modern slavery and forced marriage. Officers also arrested a further 13 people on suspicion of public order offences, which police say do not relate to the main investigation.

Crucially, Cheshire Police have stressed that they are not investigating a religion. They are investigating serious criminal allegations. That distinction matters because safeguarding must protect people at risk without fuelling prejudice.

At the same time, professionals must not become so afraid of causing offence that they fail to name abuse. Forced marriage, sexual abuse, trafficking and modern slavery are not cultural sensitivities. They are safeguarding and criminal justice issues.

Why forced marriage must be named as abuse

GOV.UK forced marriage guidance defines forced marriage as a marriage where one or both people do not, or cannot, consent and pressure or abuse forces the marriage. The same guidance says that causing a child to marry before the age of 18 counts as forced marriage, even when no pressure or abuse takes place.

Forced marriage is illegal across the UK, although the precise legislation differs between jurisdictions. GOV.UK describes it as domestic abuse and a serious abuse of human rights.

Therefore, professionals must not treat forced marriage as a private family matter, soften it as tradition or excuse it as culture. Forced marriage removes choice, consent and freedom.

Freedom Charity uses the term dishonour abuse because the word “honour” should never protect perpetrators. There is no honour in coercion, control or forcing a person into marriage.

Freedom Charity’s position: Shame must never be placed on someone subjected to violence, coercion or control. Forced marriage is abuse, and protecting the person at risk must come before concerns about family or community reputation.

This is not about faith. It is about coercion.

Cases involving religion, family or closed communities need careful language. However, careful language does not mean weak language. It means accurate language.

The Crown Prosecution Service guidance recognises that abuse linked to so-called “honour” can involve violence, threats, intimidation, coercion and psychological, physical, sexual, financial or emotional abuse. Prosecutors must also consider the full context, including any wider pattern of abuse.

In practice, professionals need to ask direct questions about control. They should consider who holds the person’s phone, passport, money or documents; who decides where they go; who speaks for them; and who benefits if they stay silent.

Because coercion often hides in ordinary language, words such as shame, duty, obedience, family honour, spiritual punishment or community disgrace may signal risk. Silence can also matter. Sometimes a person says nothing because fear has already done its work.

Why the law matters

The Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 made it a criminal offence in England, Wales and Scotland to force someone to marry. Northern Ireland has separate legislation. GOV.UK says the offence can include taking someone overseas to force them to marry, doing anything intended to cause a child to marry before their eighteenth birthday, or causing someone who lacks mental capacity to marry.

A Forced Marriage Protection Order can also protect someone at risk. Courts can use these orders to prevent travel, restrict contact, protect documents and stop further pressure. In addition, anyone who breaches an order can face criminal consequences.

However, safeguarding must not wait for a criminal conviction. Courts decide guilt. Safeguarding professionals act on risk.

What professionals should learn from Crewe

The Crewe forced marriage investigation must now follow the evidence. No suspect should face public judgment before a court has tested the facts, and no community should carry blame for allegations against individuals.

Even so, this case shows why professionals need sharper judgement. Forced marriage may sit beside sexual abuse, trafficking, modern slavery, immigration control, spiritual control, isolation or financial dependence.

In February 2026, the CPS strengthened its guidance to include spiritual abuse and immigration abuse for the first time. The update also highlighted dowry abuse, immigration-related exploitation, transnational marriage abandonment and spiritual or ritualistic abuse as harmful practices that prosecutors may need to consider.

For that reason, schools, police, health workers, social workers and community organisations must look beyond the surface. A person at risk may not say, “I face forced marriage.” Instead, they may say, “I have no choice,” “My family will never forgive me,” or nothing at all.

Safeguarding professionals should not take silence as reassurance. Sometimes silence is the evidence that control has worked.

Freedom Charity’s message

Freedom Charity supports people affected by forced marriage, dishonour abuse, FGM and related harmful practices. The charity provides support, education, professional training, a specialist helpline and a safeguarding app designed to place help within reach quickly.

The message must stay clear: forced marriage is not honour, culture or consent. It is abuse.

In an emergency, call 999.

Anyone with information that may help the Crewe investigation should contact Cheshire Police through the police public portal or call 101.

For concerns about forced marriage, dishonour abuse or FGM, contact Freedom Charity for confidential support and safeguarding advice. The Government’s Forced Marriage Unit can also provide specialist advice.

Related Freedom Charity guidance

Forced Marriage
Forced Marriage Protection Order Guide
FGM and forced marriage protection orders
Forced marriage training: new data exposes a safeguarding gap
What the New CPS Guidance on Honour-Based Abuse Means
What Is Immigration-Related Abuse?
What Is Spiritual or Ritual Abuse?
What Is Transnational Marriage Abandonment?
Freedom Charity Helpline
Freedom Charity App

By Aneeta Prem MBE, Founder of Freedom Charity
London, 30 April 2026

International Women’s Day 2026

Northampton Child Marriage Case: 2026 Outcome

ENGLAND AND WALES · GUILTY PLEA · 19 JANUARY 2026

Under 18 means under 18.

A faith leader pleaded guilty after conducting a marriage ceremony for two 16-year-olds. The Crown Prosecution Service confirmed that the case did not involve coercion. Under the amended law, that did not make the ceremony lawful.

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By Aneeta Prem

The Northampton Child Marriage Case is a legal first with real value for child safeguarding. In January 2026, the CPS said it prosecuted a faith leader for carrying out an under-18 nikah ceremony after the law changed to ban marriage under 18 in England and Wales. Even though the two young people asked for the ceremony, the CPS said it was still unlawful. That detail matters because the law protects children, not adult choices made around them.

What happened

On 19 January 2026, the CPS published details of the case involving Ashraf Osmani, 52. The CPS stated that he conducted a nikah ceremony at Northampton’s Central Mosque for two 16-year-olds in November 2023. The CPS described this as the first case of its kind since the new minimum age law came into force.

Safeguarding concerns were reported to Northamptonshire Police, according to the CPS. As a result, police involvement brought the case into the criminal justice system.

The court result

The CPS said the defendant pleaded guilty to two counts. The court imposed a custodial sentence, suspended for a year. In addition, the CPS said the court made orders for costs and a surcharge. The CPS also confirmed lifelong reporting restrictions for the children.

A suspended sentence still counts as a prison sentence. The court delays it. If the person breaks the conditions, the court can activate custody.

What the law says

The Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Act 2022 raised the legal minimum age to 18 in England and Wales. The change took effect on 27 February 2023. Therefore, 16 and 17-year-olds can no longer marry or enter a civil partnership, even with parental consent.

The law also strengthened the forced marriage offence. It makes it an offence to carry out conduct intended to cause a child to enter a marriage before their 18th birthday. Importantly, it can apply whether or not there is violence, threats, coercion or deception.

Why “they agreed” does not settle it

The CPS stated there was no forced element or coercion in this case. However, that does not remove the offence. The law exists because children can face pressure that looks like agreement from the outside.

Children also sit within adult authority structures. Meanwhile, adults can present a ceremony as “normal” even when it is illegal. That is why Parliament raised the age.

Why religious-only ceremonies still matter

Many families treat a religious ceremony as a real marriage, even without registration. For that reason, the forced marriage law defines marriage broadly enough to cover ceremonies that a community treats as binding. In short, a religious-only ceremony does not remove legal risk.

The police role: first contact decides safety

The CPS does not investigate crime. Police do. So, the first response can either protect a child or leave them exposed.

In the Northampton Child Marriage Case, the CPS said safeguarding concerns reached Northamptonshire Police and the case followed. That chain of action is the lesson. When professionals act early, the system can step in. When professionals minimise, risk stays hidden.

The CPS role: charging depends on the file

The CPS makes charging decisions based on evidence in the police file. Therefore, the quality of the file matters. A clear file helps prosecutors show the full picture and apply the right charges. By contrast, a thin file makes safeguarding harder to prove.

This case shows what can happen when concerns are raised, evidence is gathered, and the law is applied clearly.

Why language matters

Public bodies often use the phrase “honour-based abuse”. Freedom Charity uses dishonour abuse because perpetrators use “dishonour” as a weapon to punish and control.

Language does more than describe. It can also steer decisions. If the system repeats the abuser’s framing, even by habit, it can soften risk. If the system names the conduct, it can act faster.

For Freedom Charity’s definition and safeguarding framework, see Dishonour Abuse and honour-based abuse.

What professionals should do now

This case points to practical actions:

• Treat under-18 marriage risk as child safeguarding from the start.

• Record who arranged the ceremony and who drove it.

• Act quickly if travel is planned or passports are mentioned.

• Keep evidence safe, including messages, screenshots and call logs.

• Avoid family mediation where a child is scared.

• Get specialist advice early.

For emergency protection and specialist advice, see the UK Government’s forced marriage guidance and support routes.

The safeguarding lesson: Under-18 marriage ceremonies cannot be justified by an adult’s belief that the children have agreed. Professionals must identify risk, recognise the legal boundary and protect the children involved.

What does this mean next?

This legal first should not be treated as job done. Under-18 ceremonies can still happen in private. Therefore, training, reporting and early action matter.

When agencies apply the law with confidence, more children will stay safe. If agencies hesitate, perpetrators will continue to exploit the silence.

FAQs

Is child marriage illegal in England and Wales?

Yes. The minimum age is 18, with no exceptions for 16 or 17-year-olds.

Can an under-18 nikah ceremony lead to prosecution?

Yes. The CPS said this case involved an under-18 nikah ceremony and resulted in prosecution under the amended offence.

Why prosecute if the young people asked for it?

Because the law protects children even where adults claim consent.

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