Teen couple 'forced' to marry

A couple who got married in their teens had their marriage annulled yesterday because they were too immature when they tied the knot.

The man was 16 years old and the woman 19 when they got married in August 1995 because they were expecting a daughter.

When the couple got to know one another, the boy told her he was 18. It was only after she got pregnant, two months after they met, that she learnt his real age.

The court heard how the boy's grandmother insisted the couple get married so that their child would be born into a family. Since both his parents had died, his grandmother got him to sign documentation consenting to the marriage even though he was a minor.

He said he was not aware what the papers she asked him to sign consisted of. The man, now 30, told the court his grandmother had insisted that the baby should be born into a family and they got married in a civil ceremony. After the ceremony, the newlyweds celebrated their union by going out for a pizza.

Throughout their 13 years of marriage they did not want more children. In fact, his wife just fulfilled her role as a mother to their daughter and he felt she treated him more like a son than a husband and would not even allow him to kiss her.

Mr Justice Noel Cuschieri, sitting in the Family Court, felt that the consent of the boy for marriage was achieved through deception.

"This is a clear case where the grandmother could cover her grandson's mistake by forcing him to marry when it was clear that he was far too young and not sufficiently aware of the responsibilities of married life," the court said.