teacher banned for marrying underage

Disciplinary panel bans man from teaching as he married underage girl in 2006

A 34-year-old teacher in London has been banned from teaching permanently as he had married an underage girl at the age of 22 when he was teaching at the London Nautical School.

Joshim Nur said he thought the girl was 18 in 2006 when the two wedded. However, the girl said she had written to him about being just 13 before the marriage was arranged.

A teaching disciplinary panel sitting in Coventry said Nur had relationship with the girl between August 2006 and April 2009, which mean between the age of 13 and 16, the age required for a girl to marry in United Kingdom.

The panel said Nur married the girl in Bangladesh and had sexual relationship with the child, who was then in year 8 in school.

The girl claims to have written to the teacher about her age three days ahead of the wedding and confirmed the same in a video recording captured by Nur’s father.

However, the teacher claims to be unaware of the girl’s exact age until a complaint was made against him to the police in 2013.

Nur said he understood the girl was 18-year-old during their marriage, but the panel rejected the understanding saying it is not possible to make mistake for four years.

The girl said in her complaint to have had sex shortly after the wedding and in 2007 was taken to a family planning clinic. She was asked to take contraceptive pill every day.

The panel added Nur has finally accepted the girl was 13-year-old in 2006.