A man who married a 14-year-old girl in an Islamic ceremony in Melbourne stole her childhood, says the judge who has sent the groom to prison.
But Mohammad Shakir, who shook and sobbed during his sentencing on Thursday, will spend less than a fortnight more behind bars due to time already served.
County Court Judge Lisa Hannan was satisfied Shakir, 35, knew the girl was 15 or even younger when they wed at the Noble Park mosque in September, 2016.
"What you did was legally wrong and morally indefensible," the judge told him.
Shakir pleaded guilty to marrying an underage person, a charge attracting up to five years' jail.
The girl's mother, who has not been charged, played a supporting role, breaching her moral obligation to her daughter and flagrantly flouting the law, Judge Hannan said. [AAP] Read more
