Forced Marriage (Section 121 Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014)

Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, s.121

Either way
7 years' custody

Definition

A person commits an offence under the law of England and Wales if he or she (a) uses violence, threats or any other form of coercion for the purpose of causing another person to enter into a marriage, and (b) believes, or ought reasonably to believe, that the conduct may cause the other person to enter into the marriage without free and full consent. (Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, s.121(1)) A person commits an offence under the law of England and Wales if he or she (a) practises any form of deception with the intention of causing another person to leave the United Kingdom, and (b) intends the other person to be subjected to conduct outside the United Kingdom that is an offence under subsection (1) or would be an offence under that subsection if the victim were in England or Wales. (Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, s.121(3)) A person commits an offence under the law of England and Wales if he or she carries out any conduct for the purpose of causing a child to enter into a marriage before the child's eighteenth birthday (whether or not the conduct amounts to violence, threats, any other form of coercion or deception, and whether or not it is carried out in England and Wales). (Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, s.121(3A))

Points to prove

A person
uses violence, threats or any other form of coercion
for the purpose of causing another person to enter into a marriage
and believes, or ought reasonably to believe, that the conduct may cause the other person to enter into the marriage without free and full consent
and the jurisdictional condition in s.121(7) is met (a party in England or Wales, habitually resident there, or a UK national)
or, under s.121(3), practises any form of deception intending to cause another person to leave the United Kingdom, intending them to be subjected to such conduct outside the United Kingdom
or, under s.121(3A), carries out any conduct for the purpose of causing a child to enter into a marriage before the child's eighteenth birthday, the condition in s.121(7A) being met

Forced Marriage is an offence under s.121 Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014. A person commits an offence if he or she uses violence, threats or any other form of coercion for the purpose of causing another person to enter into a marriage, and believes, or ought reasonably to believe, that the conduct may cause the other person to enter into the marriage without free and full consent (s.121(1)). Where the victim lacks capacity to consent to marriage, the offence may be committed by any conduct carried out for the purpose of causing the victim to enter into a marriage, whether or not it amounts to violence, threats or coercion (s.121(2)). It is also an offence to practise any form of deception with the intention of causing another person to leave the United Kingdom, intending them to be subjected to such conduct outside the United Kingdom (s.121(3)), and to carry out any conduct for the purpose of causing a child to enter into a marriage before the child's eighteenth birthday, whether or not it amounts to violence, threats, coercion or deception (s.121(3A)). "Marriage" means any religious or civil ceremony of marriage, whether or not legally binding (s.121(4)). It is irrelevant whether the conduct is directed at the victim or another person (s.121(6)). The offences under subsections (1) and (3) require that the person or the victim is in England or Wales, that one of them is habitually resident in England and Wales, or that one of them is a UK national (s.121(7)); subsection (3A) has its own conditions in s.121(7A). Maximum sentence: on summary conviction, imprisonment for a term not exceeding the general limit in a magistrates' court (12 months in the case of an offence triable either way, Sentencing Act 2020, s.224(1A)(b)) or a fine or both; on conviction on indictment, imprisonment for a term not exceeding 7 years (s.121(9)).

In practice

This is an either-way offence: it may be tried at the magistrates' court or the Crown Court. Mode of trial depends on the seriousness and the defendant's election. The suspect must be cautioned in accordance with Code C PACE 1984 before any questions about the offence are put to them. Interviews must be audio-recorded (Code E) or, for indictable offences, may be visually recorded (Code F).

Last updated 20 October 2026. Reviewed 20 October 2026

Mode of trial: Either way
Maximum sentence: 7 years' custody
Act and section: Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, s.121
Power of arrest: A constable may arrest without a warrant anyone who is about to commit the offence, anyone who is in the act of committing it, anyone whom the constable has reasonable grounds for suspecting to be about to commit it or to be committing it and, where the constable has reasonable grounds for suspecting that the offence has been committed or it has been committed, anyone whom the constable has reasonable grounds to suspect of being guilty of it or who is guilty of it; the power is exercisable only if the constable has reasonable grounds for believing that for any of the reasons in s.24(5) (ascertaining the person's name or address, preventing injury, loss or damage, protecting a child or other vulnerable person, allowing the prompt and effective investigation of the offence, or preventing a prosecution being hindered by the person's disappearance) it is necessary to arrest the person (Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, s.24(1) to (5)).
Search on arrest: A constable may search a person arrested at a place other than a police station if the constable has reasonable grounds for believing the arrested person may present a danger to himself or others, and may search the person for anything which might be used to assist an escape from lawful custody or which might be evidence relating to an offence, and, the offence being indictable, may enter and search any premises in which the person was when arrested or immediately before arrest for evidence relating to the offence (Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, s.32(1) and (2)); a constable may enter and search any premises occupied or controlled by a person under arrest for an indictable offence if the constable has reasonable grounds for suspecting that there is on the premises evidence relating to that offence or to a connected or similar indictable offence, with the written authorisation of an inspector or above except where the person's presence at a place other than a police station is necessary for the effective investigation of the offence (Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, s.18(1), (4), (5) and (5A)). The PACE s.1 stop and search power does not attach to this offence, which is not among those listed in s.1(7) to (8A) (Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, s.1).
Detention clock: A person must not be kept in police detention for more than 24 hours after the relevant time without being charged (Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, s.41(1) and (2)). Because the offence is triable either way it is an indictable offence (Interpretation Act 1978, Schedule 1), so an officer of the rank of superintendent or above responsible for the police station may authorise continued detention for a period expiring at or before 36 hours after the relevant time where detention is necessary to secure or preserve evidence or to obtain it by questioning and the investigation is being conducted diligently and expeditiously (s.42(1)); a magistrates' court may issue a warrant of further detention for a period not longer than 36 hours (s.43(1), (4) and (12)) and may extend it, no extension being longer than 36 hours or ending later than 96 hours after the relevant time (s.44(1) and (3)).
Source: www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2014/12/section/121