A 34-year-old businessman from Cardiff has been the first person to be imprisoned under the forced marriage laws, which were introduced in the UK a year ago. He had subjected the victim to years of abuse, “systematic” rape and blackmailed her, using footage from a hidden camera.
The businessman cannot be named for legal reasons, was jailed for 16 years, for making a 25-year-old woman marry him under duress, in 2014. He had already been married and had methodically raped his victim for months. He had threatened to leak footage from the hidden camera he used to secretly film her showering, and also threatened to kill her family members if she revealed anyone of the abuse which took place.
Merthyr Crown Court heard of the abuse which took place. The victim has visited his house under the impression that she was going to a get-together with friends. After arriving at his residence, the victim found the property empty and the curtains were drawn and the front door was locked. She was bound and gagged with scarves while she was raped, while music played loudly to drown out her cries for help.
After the attack, the victim was shown secret footage of her in the shower. He said he would make the footage public if she refused to marry him.
The court also heard that after a few months of raping the victim, the man turned up at her workplace and drove her to the mosque to get married. He had threatened her, stating that he would kill her parents if she did not comply.
He was also 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.
Judge Daniel Williams had described the man to be “arrogant, manipulative and devious.” He also stated, “Your house was empty, you locked the front door and drew the curtains, you ignored her pleas to let her go and threw her mobile phone away and bound and gagged her with scarves belonging to your wife. You tied her hands behind her back, she was bruised by the ties and she couldn't breathe. She almost passed out and then you raped her. She was a virgin, something which you knew and something which you used to ensure her silence. You took her innocence to ensure her silence."
The head of Crown Prosecution Wales' rape and serious offences unit, Iwan Jenkins 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. The victim has shown great courage and bravery in reporting these matters. This conviction illustrates the seriousness with 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.”
