A backyard Islamic marriage between an 18-year-old man and a 15-year-old girl was only discovered when the young bride took herself to a western Sydney hospital believing she had suffered a miscarriage, police allege.
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Mustafa Abdel Ghany, 19, was charged on Wednesday with marrying a 15-year-old girl in the backyard of her father's Lurnea home in November.
A sheikh allegedly officiated over the ceremony and the couple moved in to a granny flat at Abdel Ghany's parents' home in Yagoona soon after.
Detectives from the Child Abuse Squad were alerted to the marriage when the 15 year-old attended Bankstown Hospital on January 20 believing she had suffered a miscarriage.
It is the first time the state's Child Abuse Squad had charged a husband with marrying an underage girl.
Abdel Ghany was granted strict bail in Bankstown Local Court on Wednesday and ordered not to go near his wife, not to drink alcohol or take drugs and to abide by an Apprehended Domestic Violence Order taken out against him.
His 15-year-old wife, who cannot be identified, had not been in contact with her separated parents for four to five months and had stopped attending South Granville High School at the time of her marriage, police said in documents tendered to the court.
When her horrified mother found out about the union, she confronted the couple and was allegedly told by her new son-in-law that he would "finish" her.
"What's done is done. She's my wife. If you want to start a war, I'll finish it," he allegedly told the mother when she questioned why he married her daughter in such a manner.
Police allege that the bride's father, who was present when they married, told police they were simply engaged.
In early February, Abdel Ghany and his parents grew suspicious that his in-laws were speaking to the police.
An intercepted phone call allegedly revealed he planned to harm his bride's parents, police documents state.
In other phone calls, detectives also allegedly heard Abdel Ghany's parents telling him to move his wife's belonging out of the granny flat and into the main house to hide the relationship.
Just days ago, however, Abdel Ghany struck up a relationship with another woman while his young wife was visiting his family in Canberra, police documents state.
"Police allege the accused has stated that he is considering divorcing the victim," the documents state. "The victim is unaware of the extent of the [new] relationship and is hoping that she and the accused will continue to live as husband and wife."
Abdel Ghany, who was 18 at the time of the marriage, denied that the ceremony took place when interviewed by police on Wednesday and has denied having sex with the 15-year-old girl.
A recent report estimated there were around 250 child bride cases across Australia.
NSW police made their first child bride arrest last year.
A 26 year-old man was convicted of several sexual abuse matters after marrying a 12-year-old girl in a backyard ceremony. The imam who oversaw the marriage was also convicted.
