BEIRUT: An Australian court has sentenced a Lebanese man to 10 years in jail for marrying and impregnating a 12-year-old girl, local media reported.
The 27-year-old student, who was not named for legal reasons, will be eligible for parole in August 2021, but he will likely be deported if released at that time, the Sydney Morning Herald said Friday.
The report quoted Judge Deborah Sweeney as saying in her verdict that "neither his cultural or religious beliefs excuse his offense,” referring to the Lebanese man, who pleaded guilty to the persistent sexual abuse of a child.
The man told the court that he was “determined” to marry the child, who he saw at a mosque, despite being told it was illegal.
The marriage was performed in a private house with the help of one of the victim’s relatives and Sheikh Mohammad Tasawar, an Iranian Imam. Tasawar was fined $500 Australian (US $391), and his religious visa was cancelled in March 2013.
After the marriage, the couple had sex and moved between motels before settling down in a rented apartment in western Sydney.
According to the report, the girl used to spend her days at home while the husband went to work.
The girl, who could not be named also for legal reasons, was examined at the Children's Hospital at Westmead after complaining of sharp abdominal pain.
The doctors discovered that she had an ectopic pregnancy - where the fertilized egg implants outside the uterus - and the fetus died.
According to the newspaper, the man arrived in Australia on a student visa in June 2013, asked two religious leaders at a Hunter Valley mosque to arrange the marriage with the girl. They declined, telling him it was clearly illegal.
He made inquiries about marrying the child, but after a supervised meeting with the girl, he was told she was not interested as he was "too old".
However, the man began contacting her by text message, sometimes sending dozens of messages a day. About a month later the girl began communicating with him.
The man told the court he believed a Muslim girl could marry once she reached puberty.
His student visa has been cancelled and he has been detained in Villawood Immigration Detention Centre since March last year.
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