Freedom Charity / Law in practice / England and Wales
Forced Marriage Cases & Law
Understand the law. Learn from the cases.
Real prosecutions, court outcomes, investigations and Forced Marriage Protection Orders. See what the law established, what remains an allegation and the warning signs safeguarding professionals must recognise.
Freedom Explains — safeguarding commentary from Freedom Charity, founded by Aneeta Prem. Court judgments and outcomes are identified separately from the charity’s analysis. Updated 26 October 2026.
Selected documented examples
Cases and outcomes
These cases illustrate different stages of the legal process. An arrest or investigation is not a conviction. A guilty plea or guilty verdict is different from a civil protection order. These are selected examples, not a complete national database.
Bedford · England · Conviction · April 2026
A marriage over Zoom
A man was jailed after forcing a teenage girl into a marriage ceremony over Zoom, alongside sexual offending. The evidence described control, fear and a ceremony in a language she did not understand.
Freedom Explains — why this case matters
Technology can disguise rather than remove coercion. A remote ceremony, unfamiliar language or apparent compliance should prompt private questions about control, threats and whether the young person could truly refuse. Never seek reassurance from the suspected perpetrators.
Northampton · England · Guilty plea and sentence · January 2026
Marriage before 18
A faith leader admitted offences connected with a ceremony for two 16-year-olds. The CPS stated there was no coercion. The case illustrates the separate protection against arranging child marriage before 18.
Freedom Explains — why this case matters
An apparent agreement between children is not the legal test for an under-18 marriage offence. Safeguarding staff must recognise the age threshold and respond even when relatives or religious figures describe a ceremony as voluntary.
Cheshire Police investigated serious allegations including forced marriage and trafficking. Subsequent updates described further arrests and protective measures. Neither arrests nor protective orders establish guilt.
Freedom Explains — why this case matters
Police arrests do not prove an allegation. Professionals still have a duty to assess immediate risk, record disclosures accurately and use established referral routes; protecting someone should not wait for a trial.
Spain and Pakistan · Police investigation · September 2026
Rescued after overseas travel
Catalan authorities reported a woman taken to Pakistan under false assurances, followed by an alleged forced marriage. She was brought back to Spain; two men were arrested. There is no verified conviction in the cited reports.
Freedom Explains — why this case matters
Deceptive travel can be the point at which control becomes impossible to escape. Private pre-departure conversations, attention to passport access and an agreed safe-contact plan matter; never alert relatives where doing so could increase danger.
Emad Kaky was convicted in September 2024 of conspiracy to commit FGM and forced marriage after planning for a child to travel to Iraq. Intervention prevented the planned offences. His original sentence was increased to seven years by the Court of Appeal in January 2025. The case is also covered in the FGM collection. Read the Attorney General’s Office sentencing update (February 2025).
Freedom Explains — why this case matters
Prevention is a successful safeguarding outcome even without physical harm being carried out. Travel arrangements, messages and a child’s expressed fears can all be vital evidence. The later sentence increase also shows why case outcomes need ongoing checking.
England and Wales · Breach of court order · CPS case study
Threats after an FMPO
A CPS example describes a father who pleaded guilty to breaching a Forced Marriage Protection Order by threatening contact after his daughter sought protection. An FMPO can protect before a forced marriage takes place.
Freedom Explains — why this case matters
A protection order must be treated as a practical safety measure, not merely a legal document. A threat to breach it should trigger careful risk reassessment, safe reporting and coordinated support for the protected person.
These published judgments explain consent, urgent protection, mental capacity and travel restrictions. Most concern civil remedies and Family Court decisions, not criminal convictions. We distinguish allegations, findings and orders.
1982 · Court of Appeal · Marriage annulment
Hirani v Hirani
Judges: Ormrod LJ, Watkins LJ and French J · Court of Appeal · 5 May 1982
[1982] EWCA Civ 1. The Court of Appeal considered how family pressure could overpower a young woman’s consent to marriage and allowed an appeal for a decree of nullity. Lesson: legal consent is not established by the outward appearance of agreement.
Freedom Explains — why this case matters
The outward appearance of agreement is not proof of a free decision. Professionals should explore the consequences of refusal privately and without family members present, while recognising that pressure can operate without physical violence.
Judge: Mr Justice Singer · Hearing 10 December 2004; judgment 3 February 2005 (2004 neutral citation)
[2004] EWHC 3202 (Fam). The court considered urgent protective relief concerning a British adult abroad in Bangladesh who might be at risk of forced marriage. Lesson: appropriate court action and official assistance can be crucial when a person is overseas.
Freedom Explains — why this case matters
A safeguarding concern does not disappear because someone is outside the UK. Early specialist advice, discretion and communication with appropriate authorities may be critical; direct confrontation can increase the danger.
[2015] EWHC 3534 (Fam). The High Court considered mental capacity to marry and the legal treatment of a marriage where capacity was in question. Lesson: the legal ability to consent is a separate issue from family approval or a formal ceremony.
Freedom Explains — why this case matters
The ability to understand and consent to marriage is decision-specific. Respect for a person’s wishes must sit alongside a lawful capacity assessment rather than assumptions made from disability or relatives’ preferences.
Judges: Sir Andrew McFarlane, Peter Jackson LJ and Haddon-Cave LJ · 21 February 2020
[2020] EWCA Civ 190. The court explained its flexible FMPO jurisdiction, including protection of an adult with capacity and the use of passport restrictions where a serious risk is established. Lesson: protection, personal autonomy and rights must be carefully balanced.
Freedom Explains — why this case matters
Restricting access to passports can prevent serious harm, but such powers must be used proportionately and grounded in evidence. Protection and the person’s autonomy should both be considered.
[2023] EWHC 195 (Fam). An appeal considered Family Court jurisdiction in the context of a Forced Marriage Protection Order. The judgment discusses the wide but legally defined protective powers of the court. Lesson: jurisdiction and statutory powers must be checked before seeking relief.
Freedom Explains — why this case matters
Before urgent international or cross-border steps are taken, practitioners need to know which court has jurisdiction and which relief is available. An assumption about nationality or residence can create a dangerous delay.
[2024] EWFC 177. In heavily anonymised family proceedings following a young woman’s murder, Mr Justice Poole examined forced marriage concerns, family control and the safety of younger children. The court found serious safeguarding risks, while emphasising that an alleged motive for the murder had not been proved. Lesson: safeguarding decisions must take disclosure, retractions and evidence seriously without speculating beyond findings.
Freedom Explains — why this case matters
In a grave and complex family case, it is particularly important to separate judicial findings from fears, disputed allegations and speculation about motives. Good safeguarding evidence should be precise and carefully recorded.
Family Court orders protect against risk and are not convictions. An FMPO may be made before any criminal prosecution. Follow reporting restrictions and the anonymity directions in each judgment.
England and Wales
The law in plain English
Free consent
For adults, forced marriage involves coercion or an inability to consent. Pressure may be physical, psychological, emotional, financial or sexual. A freely chosen arranged marriage between adults is different.
Marriage under 18
Since 27 February 2023, conduct intended to cause a child to marry before 18 is a criminal offence in England and Wales even without threats, coercion or deception. The law can cover religious or other non-binding ceremonies.
Marriage abroad
Luring someone overseas to force them to marry can be an offence under English and Welsh law where the jurisdictional requirements are met. An overseas police investigation is not automatically a UK prosecution.
Penalties and procedure
The specific forced marriage offence can carry a maximum sentence of seven years’ imprisonment. Police investigate; the CPS decides whether to prosecute in England and Wales; courts determine guilt or innocence.
Latest published Ministry of Justice statistics · April to June 2026
Forced Marriage Protection Orders: the figures
During April–June 2026, the Family Court recorded 90 applications for Forced Marriage Protection Orders (FMPOs) and 254 orders in England and Wales. The orders include interim and final orders and variations to existing orders. One application can produce multiple orders, sometimes protecting several people.
A Forced Marriage Protection Order (FMPO) can protect someone at risk of forced marriage or someone already forced into marriage. The Family Court can make urgent orders, including restrictions on travel or contact and directions involving passports. In England and Wales, breaching an FMPO can be prosecuted as an offence carrying a maximum of five years’ imprisonment or dealt with as contempt of court.
Numbers are not prevalence. Applications, orders, allegations, prosecutions and convictions are different measures. One application may produce more than one order. These figures cannot be treated as a count of victims or a measure of how common forced marriage is.
Frequently asked legal questions
Forced marriage: key answers
Is a forced marriage a crime in England and Wales?
Yes. Section 121 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 creates the specific offence. It covers coercion, and situations where a person cannot consent because they lack capacity. Different circumstances and overseas conduct have jurisdictional requirements. Read the legislation.
Is a marriage ceremony involving a 16- or 17-year-old unlawful?
Since 27 February 2023, causing a child to marry before 18 can be prosecuted in England and Wales even without coercion. Non-legally-binding ceremonies may also fall within the offence. Read the minimum-age legislation.
Is an FMPO the same as a criminal conviction?
No. A Forced Marriage Protection Order is a civil measure designed to prevent or respond to harm. It can be obtained urgently even where there has been no prosecution. Breaching an order is a separate matter. See how to apply.
Can the Family Court protect someone living overseas?
In some circumstances, yes. The High Court examined the jurisdiction in Re P [2023] EWHC 195 (Fam). The court’s authority depends on the relevant facts and statutory powers, not a simple blanket rule about nationality. Read the judgment.
Case descriptions based on cited sources reviewed October 2026. The law and court procedures differ between UK jurisdictions; this guide mainly covers England and Wales. Reporting restrictions and victim anonymity must always be respected.
