First forced marriage conviction: how prevalent is it in Britain?

Campaigners say the landmark ruling 'sends a strong message' to perpetrators of the crime

Brides at a mass wedding in India
(Image credit: Getty)

A businessman from Cardiff who raped and blackmailed a woman before forcing her to marry him has become the first person to in Britain to be jailed under the new forced marriage law.

In a landmark ruling, the 34-year old was sentenced to 16 years in prison after pleading guilty to charges of forced marriage, rape, bigamy and voyeurism, The Independent reports. He cannot be named in order to avoid revealing the identity of his victim.

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